Bomi woke up to the morning sun, light that glistened through the white shades of curtains that contained several folds, winding in and out.

In a spacious ward, there was only one thing that caught her attention. A stalk of dandelions tucked neatly in a silver vase.

It reminded her of everything. Happy, sad memories and one girl, Park Chorong.

Now conscious, the pain kicked in.

Her stomach felt numb as if there was something squeezing her from the top, it was hard to breathe. But Bomi had to be careful as she might re-open her wounds.

It had been a week since that incident.

“Chief Police Officer Ha Jung Woo will be continuing his investigations on the supposed North Korean group, LLNK ever since last Sunday’s successful mission of blowing up the facility presumed to contain a nuclear weapon in production. Meetings with the Prime Minister is scheduled for Monday as the public continues to question concerns including group, The Joker that played an important role in the mission. That is all, Reporter Kim, SBC News.”

Bomi turned to look at the television screen hanging on the wall, not aware that it was switched on the whole time.

"How are you feeling?"

"You came in like a burglar." Bomi said, with a smile. Edges of her lips turning just by the sight of her.

Spending time in the hospital allowed her to think carefully about her decisions. Thoughts that were swirling around her head were now back in their right place.

"More like the television is too loud so you couldn't hear me." said Chorong, holding a jug of water and poured it into a cup. "Let's get you up." she continued, helping Bomi to sit upright.

Taking a sip of water, she gulped it down slowly as her eyes remained onto Chorong. She never left her gaze.

"Have you made a decision?" Bomi asked.

"Mm. I've been talking about it with Irene and Solar."

"Ah..." She nodded, having a hunch of what that meant. "I can't force you or anything. It's your decision unnie."

"Bom-ah."

"I wasted 5 years of your life. I was the cause of crushing your dreams away. Now, I want you to make the most of it." She smiled sadly. "I don't want you to suffer because of me anymore."

Chorong looked at her with solemn eyes, understanding the meaning behind her words. Bomi’s disappointed tone was too obvious.

But the girl chose career over love.

Ever since that day, Solar and Irene found potential in Chorong's abilities. It has also brought the interest of Ha Jung Woo after going through her history at law school and her expertise in the field. After much discussion, Chorong was offered a special place as a law officer in training.

It was her chance to start anew, to make a new beginning in her life.

But as the selfless girl she was, Bomi's promise ringed in her head.

Marriage.

Was she ready?

There was still so much more the world had to offer.

She wasn't prepared to settle down.

Since the events that occured, it had simply made her passionate to protect the country. She didn't want people to go through such experiences that her loved ones had. She wanted to prevent situations like these from happening.

"I'm sorry Bom-ah."

"What is there to be sorry about? I'm the one who should be apologizing to you. Even a million apologies can never be enough."

"I don't think I can make that promise to marry you just yet."

"We can always put that on hold. It's not a rush." Bomi said. "After all, I'll need to work hard first to get money and buy that ring."

"You should." smiled Chorong. "Hardwork is cherished greater than just using shortcuts."

"I know. I learnt that the hard way."

“Bomi-ssi, Chorong loves you a lot.” said Irene, paying her a visit when Chorong wasn’t around. “She doesn’t express it openly but she loves you with all her heart.”

“Why…are you telling me this?”

“I don’t want you to make the wrong decisions again. That girl went through a lot in her life. Although I’m not in a position to say this, but I could understand it throughout my investigations. For three years, I’ve worked on this case and I have to admit it had me a little emotional. Chorong is a good friend, she is a kind-hearted girl who accepts forgiveness no matter how big the sins.” Irene explained. “I’m just saying that no matter what, Chorong still puts you first over anything in the world.”

[Flashback]

“Bomi!! Please save Bomi!!” begged Chorong, tears rolling down her cheeks, watching the girl being rolled into the operation room.

“We will do our best. Please wait outside.” The nurse said calmly, before dashing in.

Desperate, Chorong fell to her knees. Everything flashed before her eyes, thinking that it may be the last. Indeed, she fell in love for such a fool.

A fool who was willing to take her own life, for her.

“That fool….” She sobbed quietly.

“Chorong-ssi, let’s get you up.” said Irene, gently helping Chorong to her feet. She took some tissues from the toilet and helped to wipe her tears away.

“Thank you Irene-ssi.”

“It’s nothing.” She smiled. “Don’t worry. She will make it out alive. The bullet dodged her vital organs so I am very positive that she will be stable soon. After all, the doctor will-“

“Irene-ssi, have you ever fallen in love?”

“…Me?” She was taken aback by the sudden question. “Y-Yes. I have a girlfriend.”

“I see…” Chorong nodded as she looked up at the ceiling, thoughts filling her head.

“Chorong-ssi…”

“Will you still love your girlfriend if she does something stupid? She always makes the wrong decisions and sometimes you get really angry at her. But, you just can’t. No matter what she does, you can’t help but to love her even more.”

“…” Irene remained mum. She believed it was a better option to be the listener in this conversation.

“I’ve always asked myself, why am I still in love with Bomi? Everything she does, it’s stupid at times and I always have to clean up her mess. It’s not even in my position to do so, but I just do it. It’s frustrating how I can never get mad at her, I-“

“That’s love, Chorong-ssi.” said Irene as she turned to look at her. “Love is complicated. It gets confusing but in the end, it all works out.”

[ End of Flashback ]

Remembering Irene’s words that rung in her head, Bomi suddenly reached out for Chorong’s hand.

“Hmm?”

“Unnie.” The girl gazed deeply into her eyes.

With a smile, she took a breath.

“I love you.”

Chorong stared at her confused. But soon, the edges of her lips turned up.

“What? Are you trying to imitate a drama scene that you watched or something?” she laughed, walking off to take Bomi’s new set of clothes in the cupboard.

“Aww come on, you have to admit that your heart fluttered at least.” Bomi whined, disappointed that it was a response she did not expect.

“Well…” Chorong returned to her side and gently leaned forward to peck her cheek. “It did, for a second.”

Immediately, Bomi began to smile like a fool in love. stretched widely as she giggled.

“I love you unnie.” She repeated.

“Why are you saying that again?” Chorong broke into a laughter.

“Cause I wanna flutter your heart again.”

“Oh please, you can’t use the same technique over again. Come on, let’s get you changed.”

“Awwww unnie!!!!”

"Welcome back to another epic round of the Grand Premix Circuit! Today's contenders are our proud and powerful, Little Tiger who has won consecutively and a new challenger who wants to break the record, The Black Panther! In match filled with brand new obstacles, who will be the crowned winner?! Let's find out!!!!" shouted the MC as his comments were blasted through the speakers set up all around the stadium.

Crowds cheered in unison as all eyes were on the bright red motorcycle and the dark black motorcycle. Their engines roared as they watched the lights glowing, changing from red, yellow and green.

As the staff in red jumpsuits waved the flags as big as their bodies, it signalled the start of the match. Immediately, both motorcycles zoomed past the first obstacle, winding through large barrels as they swerved to the left. They were on par, moving to the second obstacle as they climbed up a wooden platform.

With speed, both bikes flew into the air briefly, The Little Tiger even managed to do a mini somersault causing audiences to cheer, before landing back. Sliding down to the flat ground, they continued the race. Turning to the right, the staff pressed a button that caused a machine to shoot out small rolling balls onto the road. This would obstruct their driving and a test of evading.

Little Tiger found it easy, moving left, right and smartly avoiding the balls while The Black Panther had some difficulties as it was going at a very fast speed, thus making it difficult to control.

Little Tiger was now in the lead.

Watching amongst the crowd, was a girl in black. She looked concerned, somehow regretting to stand and witness the game in action. Her heart was filled with worry as she prayed that everything would go well.

“Here. This is a ticket to my game tonight.”

“But-“

“Don’t tell me you didn’t quit your job and you made an appointment with some random man?!”

“N-No! I didn’t unnie…”

“Then, come and watch my match.”

“But…this is dangerous…”

“What’s so dangerous? You’re just gonna sit there.”

“I meant you. Unnie, what if you-“

“I won’t. Trust me. Trust in the Little Tiger.” She smiled. “See you there Naeun-ah!”

She clutched tightly onto the now, marked ticket. She was nervous as the red motorcycle dashed towards the final obstacle. It was one that had her worried.

It contained of several hoops in which contenders must go through. But they added something new.

Fire.

Hoops of hell, that’s what they call it.

As The Little Tiger approached, Naeun closed her eyes and prayed.

Hearing the engine roaring loudly as the crowd cheered, the excitement of the MC ringing through the speakers as each second ticked by. Little Tiger raced through the hoops of fire bravely in the speed of light. Soon, the motorcycle zoomed past and reached the finishing line.

“Once again! The Little Tiger has done it! A miracle!!!!” shouted the MC as the crowd cheered in unison.

Immediately, the staff rushed over to spray and extinguish the little bits of flames, caught in The Little Tiger’s jumpsuit. Untouched, she calmly got out of her bike and waved at the crowd.

The Little Tiger won.

Back at the garage, staffs congratulated The Little Tiger as the motorcycle was being fixed by the mechanics. Now, with the helmet off, her face was free from the stuffiness. Although her cheek was smudged by dirt, she didn’t mind it at all. In fact, she had something else on her mind. Looking her eyes around, she smiled noticing Naeun shyly waiting at the entrance.

“Naeun-ah!” Eunji ran over excitedly. “How was it? Was it fun? Were you amazed at how cool I was?”

“Mm..it’s cool but…”

“…Sorry. I had you worried right?” said Eunji, getting a hint just by Naeun’s expression.

“Kinda…”

The girl looked at her, with a sad smile. “Thank you for keeping your promise.”

“It’s not a promise, it’s my decision. I’m quitting that place forever.”

“What if your clients meet you? What if they suddenly want you and-“

“I have you.”

“…Me?” For once, Eunji’s heart fluttered. It was a sign of progress. A sign that the wounds inside their hearts, were slowly healing.

The two had decided to see each other often, as friends. Nothing more.

Although they used to be girlfriends, but they needed time to think. It was true that they were still in love just like last time, but it was different.

“Can I…ask you something?” Eunji said with much hesitation.

“What is it?”

“Why…did you even choose to become an in the first place? Didn’t you plan on becoming a performer? An actress? Why…that?”

“I did. But ever since that incident, I was harassed in school. People called me names, I was bullied because of what I experienced.” Naeun continued. “I became depressed, lost motivation and practically gave up. That’s when this lady introduced me to this company and said that I could take advantage of my beauty to make a living. The rest after that is…history.”

“I’m sorry.” said Eunji. “I…should’ve been there with you when you were going through such a hard time.”

“It’s okay. The world’s a terrible place at times.” Naeun sighed as she looked up at the bright, night sky glittered with stars. “You had a hard time too. The amount of guilt, confusion and regret, even if we go back in time, the result is still the same.” She took a deep breath. “Let’s not talk so much about the past.” She said.

Naeun believed that this was a chance to start a new beginning in her life.

“There’s always the bad and the good. Even if you fall, you can always get back up and make a change.” said Eunji. “Like us.”

Naeun turned to look at Eunji.

“Naeun-ah. Let’s start this all over again. I want to become a better person for you. As we continue to grow older in our lives, we learn a lot of hard lessons along the way. I know what is right now, and I don’t want to make any more regrets.”

“Unnie…”

“I’m not asking for an answer now. We can always start slow first because-“

Eunji’s words were cut off as she felt something wet on her lips. It was soft, gentle yet warm.

A kiss.

It had been so long since they felt this warmth.

It reminded the girls of what it felt to be in love again.

“Then, today will be our first day.” smiled Naeun as she pulled back, teasing Eunji as she couldn’t get the chance to return the kiss.

“Wow…you’ve gotten really bold. I guess, you’re much more experienced than me now…” chuckled Eunji, still surprised as her heart pumped loudly in excitement.

“I’ll show you more new sides of myself, be ready unnie.” giggled Naeun.

“Oh my…what has my Naeun become?” laughed Eunji.

“Excuse me…” Suho cleared his throat, feeling awkward as he needed to interrupt in between.

“Oh, Suho, what’s up? Thanks for fixing my bike by the way, it’s just in time for the game.” said Eunji as she turned around.

“You’re lucky that your bike still survived after being rolled over by that van. Anyways, that’s not what I’m here to talk about.”

“Hm?” Eunji raised her eyebrow.

“Someone’s here to meet you. More specifically, The Black Panther personally requested to talk to you in private.”

“Black Panther?”

The clock struck midnight.

But at a small police station in Mapo, one police officer continues to work away. Her fingers dancing on the keyboard, writing out a long report of the incidents that occurred last week. It was due tomorrow and certainly, there wasn’t much time left. In fact, she had delayed the work as she was busy with other things. Most of them was visiting her girlfriend at the hospital, attending meetings with her seniors and catching up with what the rest of her unnies were doing.

Kim Namjoo continues to work hard as a dutiful police officer, she can’t even differentiate night and day anymore. Her office is like her second home now, she even has a makeshift bed at the corner that is constructed with several chairs and pillows. She sighs, groaning at how she still has 150 more pages to go.

Solar basically dumped all the work on her. But she doesn’t mind. Namjoo believes this as a sort of training to prepare herself in the future.

“Okay, so LLNK is not a North Korean group but actually an independent group that is…” She begins to mumble, reading out her report.

But all of sudden, her screen begins to flash and act weirdly.

“Come on stupid PC, don’t die on me!” Namjoo quickly pressed the “save” button out of instinct.

But she was getting scared, reminded of the several horror movies she had watched. Her computer continued to flash, images began to turn strange and compressed. Then, a bell notification rang from her phone.

“Open the door.”

Immediately, Namjoo calmed down. Instead, she was pissed.

Storming as she opened the door, she hit the girl that greeted her with a smile.

“Stop scaring me like that!”

“Ouch!” said Hayoung in response. She was in her hospital gown, a lollipop in and hands were busy with a device Yerin had made. It was the tool used to create the strange flashes on Namjoo’s computer. To be honest, Hayoung did that on purpose because she loved teasing her.

“You know I hate it when stuff like that happens! The only person who is capable of doing it is you!” Namjoo whined.

“So do you hate me?” smirked Hayoung as she leaned forward.

“…W-Who asked you to escape the hospital again? Stop hacking into their systems for god sakes!”

“It's boring staying there anyways. Hey, don’t change the topic unnie.”

"Go back. I have a lot of work to do."

"I can make your life easily by extracting some data and have the machine type the report out for you."

"That's cheating. I'm not gonna do that."

"Suit yourself." shrugged Hayoung as she took out the lollipop from and began to smear it onto her lips.

"What are you doing?"

Hayoung smirked as she tossed the lollipop into a trashcan. She then proceeded to wrap Namjoo in her arms. The girl could not escape from her grasp due to her height. But Namjoo remained still, her heart beating loudly.

"I hate that report. Because of that, you never have the time to come visit me."

"I still do during the weekends."

"I want to see you everyday."

"You can hack the cameras like what you did last time."

"Your friend confiscated my laptop."

"Oh, right. Well-"

Before Namjoo could continue, Hayoung crashed her lips onto her. Aggressively diving deep inside, the girl couldn't hold her temptations any longer. The girl obliged, tasting the sweet flavour of the lollipop Hayoung had smeared onto her lips earlier, she never thought a kiss would this taste good.

The two shared rounds of kisses, their tongues were competing for dominance.

Taking a breather, they gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment. Diving deep into their black orbs, it was beautiful.

But a moment like that, lasted for a second.

Namjoo reached her hand out and squeezed Hayoung’s left arm.

“AHHHHH!!!!”

The girl shouted in pain, releasing Namjoo from her grasp.

“That’s enough for today. Be a good girl and go back to the hospital before the nurses find out!” scolded Namjoo. “I swear if the nurses start calling my hand-phone, you’re so dead.”

“Tsk, you know my tactics already huh?”

“Can’t fool me, so-called professional hacker.”

“Ha Jung Woo came to see me today.” said Hayoung.

“What?”

“Offered me a job. Or rather, he threatened me to take it cause I’m technically a criminal for what I’ve done.”

“What did he say?”

“Well, I’m gonna become a government dog once I’m discharged. The military has great interest in my skills so no harm done. At least, I don’t have to be on the run all the time.”

“Hayoung-ah.”

“Would you rather have me behind bars?”

“No.”

“I’m going to be working very far away from you.”

“How far?”

“The DMZ.”

“That’s really far…”

“I won’t be able to meet you often so at least, let me spend more time with you before I get discharged.” Hayoung cupped Namjoo’s cheeks in her palms.

“…Fine.” said Namjoo. “But only for tonight.”

Hayoung’s cheekbones raised upwards as she smiled in delight. Without a word, she proceeded to continue their make-out session, one kiss at a time.

But both of them tried to hide the disappointment in their hearts. They were upset that things had turned out that way.

In the end, a long distance relationship was the only option.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Hello, Ha Jung Woo speaking. Yes, I understand. Thank you. Goodbye."

With short answers, the man hung up as he was busy looking through documents at his desk. He was a very busy man, attending meetings and conferences in regards to the incident that has the whole world waiting for answers.

But this was his decision.

He was a man of mysteries, often quiet and difficult to read. Ha Jung Woo was long, far ahead of anyone else. No one could beat him.

His knowledge of LLNK was more in-depth compared to investigations that took years to uncover. He knew everything from the beginning and simply chose to watch it play out, before he decided to take an action.

It was all a test.

He wanted to see if Irene was fit for the role but it appears he has been greatly disappointed.

No one would be able to surpass him.

That was why, he called in "The Joker". He knew that everything was going to turn downhill and their help was required. The Joker is an independent group that holds no affiliation with the government nor North Korea. Their decisions are made purely by its own members through the account of money.

In other words, a mercenary group.

“We’ll agree to the job.”

“You will?” Ha Jung Woo raised his eyebrow. Although it was too much to ask them a favour, but he was surprised at the outcome.

“After all, I owe someone a favour.” said Matthew Kim, one of the four members from The Joker.

“Someone?”

“5 years ago, I was in disguise as a spy to investigate LLNK. I acted as their buyer to retrieve a packet of heroin. Turns out a bunch of high school girls got involved but I couldn’t save them.”

“And this guy’s been filled with regret ever since.” said J.Seph as he scoffed, patting his back.

“Oppa still has a soft heart huh?” asked Somin with a tease.

“Shut up. Anyways, judging from the situation, we’re gonna have to split up. Let’s go, time is ticking.” Matthew proceeded to exit the office through the window.

“And there he goes. Anyways, sir, we’ll be looking forward to the payment. You promised us sixteen grand.” smirked Jiwoo as The Joker team left Ha Jung Woo’s office, one by one like the shadows, quickly disappearing in sight.

Ha Jung Woo leaned back to his seat, crossed his arms as he stared into space. What a small world we live in. He never thought The Joker was connected to LLNK and this case.

The man smiled.

“Those girls are really lucky.” He mumbled, impressed.

Perhaps, life is full of serendipity.

ONE YEAR LATER

"It's been a year...Sooyoung-ah..."

Bending down to place flowers at the stone with her sister's name engraved, she clasped her hand and prayed. Regrets began to fill her heart, upset that she wasn't able to find the answers she needed. When she had believed that her sister was dead all along, she was alive. But it was too late. The events that followed a year ago, she died in combat.

Or at least, that was what she was told.

At first, Irene thought that this was a joke. There was no one she could die again for the second time. But after months of investigating, she came into conclusion that Joy is really dead. Her comrade, Hayoung buried her in secrecy and here she is, in front of her grave.

"I hope that you're living well in the skies." she said, looking up. It was clear, painted in a comforting blue.

"Irene-ssi..."

She turned around.

"Hayoung-ssi...what are you doing here?"

"Am I not allowed to pay respects for my friend?" asked Hayoung as she placed a bouquet of flowers and clasped her hands. She stood up and turned to face Irene. "There's something that I need to tell you."

Irene's eyebrows scrunched. "You can't ask me to cover a crime that you did."

"Oh please, if I did, I would ask Chorong unnie, not you." scoffed Hayoung, rolling her eyes. "After all, I work for the government now. There's no way I can break the law so freely like last time."

"Then, what could be so important for you to come all the way here?"

"It's about Joy."

"...."

"I bet she avoided you till her death. Meeting her...she felt like a stranger right? A complete different person."

"...Yes...I don't know why she was behaving like that...maybe she wasn't ready to meet me yet or..."

"She chose to join LLNK because of guilt. I know. Joy is your cherished younger sister and you had high hopes for her. Ever since your parents passed away, you were left with the responsibility of raising Joy alone. But back in high school, she made a huge mistake. Because of that, she could never bring herself to confront you anymore."

"What...did she do?"

"She fell in love with a boy. Things happened and then...she conceived a child."

Irene remained mum for a moment, eyes open wide as she tried to process those words.

"She wanted to abort the baby. But she couldn't. In the end, she gave birth in the school toilet and left the baby at an orphanage. I happened to be on a mission when I saw her trying to commit suicide. I could've just let her be...but I'm human too. I may have killed people before but, Joy is different."

"I...." Irene stuttered in a slur of words, unsure how to react. It was all too sudden.

The hard truth.

"Here." Hayoung handed a piece of paper to Irene. It was crumpled, brown and had smeared yet readable handwriting. "This is the name of the orphanage and the name of her child."

"Why...are you telling me this now?"

"Joy would never be able to bring herself to tell you all this. Now that she's gone, I felt that you needed to know. Either you can just ignore this and continue with your life, adopt her, it's up to you to decide. You may have lost a sister, but she left behind a daughter who has your blood."

"...Thank you for telling me this."

"No problem." The girl smiled as she looked up and stretched her arms. "Anyways, I'll get going now. Otherwise, Ha Jung Woo is gonna pester me again." she sighed and shrugged her shoulders, annoyed at the thought. "See ya." Hayoung soon disappeared swiftly like the wind, leaving Irene all alone.

It took Irene time to take in everything. It was shocking news, but she was thankful that she was able to understand the truth her sister has been trying to hide all along. Clutching onto the piece of paper, she made a decision.

"Yeri....you gave her a cute name, Sooyoung-ah..." mumbled Irene with a smile.

All alone in their private hotel room, they continued rounds of kisses, intimate touches as they expressed their fiery love for each other.

It had only been a year since they met and it was fate.

They fell in love immediately and never left each other since. Even if it meant living in absolute secrecy from everyone they knew.

As she wanted to undress her, she noticed a scar on her lover's belly. It was very prominent and visually unpleasing. It broke her heart, upon the sight.

"Don't say anything baby." she said, covering the scar with her palm.

"Soorim-ah..."

"It's all in the past. I want to spend the present and future with you now." she said, pecking her lips.

Just as they were about to get down with another make-out session, it was interrupted by a phone call. The lovers stopped for a moment as Soorim picked it up.

"What great ing timing-"

"The deed is done, Sooyoung."

"Mm. Thanks Hayoung."

"You sure about this? Changing your entire identity to another person and leaving everything behind, you're faking your death for the second time."

"I can do what I want. It's my decision. I'm not going back there again."

"You're not even one bit curious about your daughter?"

"I want to live a new life Hayoung. Don't remind me about that. Anyways, is that all you came to call? I'm in the middle of-"

"Right. Sorry for ruining your moment with your uh lovely Seulgi, I'm hanging up."

With a chuckle, Soorim tossed her phone back to the table and turned her gaze to her lover, Kang Seulgi.

"Who was that?" asked Seulgi.

"Oh, just an old friend. Now then, where were we?"

Seoul Research Lab Facility.

She was given an option, to either serve for the government or, continue to live the rest of her life behind bars. After all, as a member of LLNK and 96, Yerin didn't really have an actual goal in her life. The only talent she had was inventing, creating and producing various types of technologies and weaponry.

Some call her a genius. But in the eyes of others, she is a criminal.

Her comrades of 96, each picked a different path. Hayoung chose to work for the government while Joy, decided to live a life with a different identity, in hopes that no one would catch her. It was a difficult decision to make but she found the right answer.

Everything was settled ever since Yerin met her.

The girl who saved her life.

[ Flashback ]

The world was spinning. Her head was heavy as Yerin tried to get up. The last she could remember was sustaining a deep wound while in combat with Seungri. Perhaps, she could've fallen unconscious due to excessive bleeding. Either way, she has to get out fast. After many years at LLNK, it was a natural instinct developed inside her.

"Don't move. You'll feel more pain."

Her vision was blurry thus she could not see who was nursing her. But she could tell that this was not a hospital, but a facility. Squinting her eyes to see clearer, it was a long-haired brunette dressed in a white lab coat.

"W-Who are you...?"

"And you shouldn't talk either." The girl sighed, walking over as she injected her arm with a serum. "You should be thankful. I saved your life."

"My life? You could've just let me die...I'm a criminal."

"I know. You've done a lot of bad things, but it wasn't your fault. You were brainwashed to do it, right? You were once a great child prodigy but something went wrong, you began to create things with the intention of destroying people. By creating a homemade grenade, you killed your own parents and sisters by accident. Shocked by what you've done, you believed that death was the right answer for your sins until someone saved you from the dark."

"...."

Yerin didn't know who this girl was. How did she get so much information of her background and history?

She couldn't trust anyone.

Using the remaining strength, she tried to get up and escape. But it was a total failure.

"You really don't listen huh?" She stopped her, hands locked in her arms as Yerin was facing directly at her. Her vision was clearer and now, she could see what this mystery girl looked like.

Her heart thumped.

How can a girl look this beautiful upfront?

"W-Who are you?"

"I am Choi Yuna but I prefer to be called as Yuju and I am a lab assistant at the Seoul Technologies Research Team. Now can you just return to your seat otherwise your wounds are going to re-open." she said with a stern voice. "I swear, you people are all the same. Not everyone is your enemy y'know? It was such a big fuss when I was treating Hayoung like really..." she rambled.

For Yerin, it was charming.

Her tone, her gaze, everything.

The girl obeyed and returned to her bed, eyes still looking at her.

"Stop looking at me otherwise I might poke the wrong vessel."

"I can't." said Yerin.

"What?"

"Because you're too beautiful."

[ End of Flashback ]

Love is amazing.

Yerin never thought love would be the sole factor for her decisions.

Now, a lab researcher at the Seoul Research Facility, she works a normal 9am-5pm job at the facility by developing new technologies and weapons for the military. At times, she would make use of chemicals for science or medical purposes. But she realised that, there is much more to learn in this world.

Yuju is much smarter than her, she has more creativity and intelligence that Yerin has never seen before. A charm that always seems to flutter her heart more.

Perhaps, Yerin was beginning to understand a little more, about Hayoung and her undying love for Namjoo.

"Stop staring at me and start working on that."

"Alright babe." chuckled Yerin as she shifted back her focus.

"W-What did you just call me?"

"I called you babe. Anything wrong with that?"

"N..No...." Yuju's cheeks flushed in a bright crimson red, causing Yerin to break into a laughter.

"What? You're not going to be competing tonight?!"

"Yeah, sorry Suho, I've got other plans."

"Oh god, why'd you tell me last minute?! I'll need to find a replacement now!"

"Haha! Good luck with that!" laughed Eunji as she hopped onto her motorcycle and wore her helmet. "I'll get going now, bye!"

"Eunji-! Argh! That girl's always dumping me with troubles!" sighed Suho in a dilemma as the next event starts in 30 minutes. As much as he wanted to lecture her for behaving like that, he couldn't. After all, Eunji has been looking happier lately and he knew that love was the only answer. She laughs a lot more, responds actively to jokes and is much talkative than ever. All she ever talks about is either about bikes or Naeun.

"In fact, you owe me a favour. It was my sole intention to have you meet with Naeun." mumbled Suho to himself as he paced around the garage, still not finding a solution.

"Sir! The game starts in a few minutes-wait, where's Little Tiger?" asked a staff, running through.

"Little Tiger's not participating tonight."

"W-What?! Then, what about-"

"Tell them Aqua Blue is taking over." said Suho with a sigh, dragging out his bright neon motorcycle from the parking space and wore his helmet.

Meanwhile, Eunji's heart thumps in excitement as she speeds through the highway. Like a free bird flying across the clear road, she hums to a song while occasionally checking her watch. She can still make it.

After all, she's confident that nothing will go wrong. She trusts in him.

[Flashback]

"So, you wanted to meet me in person, Black Panther?" asked Eunji, entering a small warehouse located near the racing track.

"Do you remember me?" The man asked, turning around as he removed his helmet.

"You..." Her eyes widened.

His tall, large stature, unshaved face and the most prominent feature of all, a red dragon hoodie. It can't be. Was this the same man from 5 years ago?

"I'm Matthew Kim, a member of The Joker. I'm sure Ha Jung Woo has told you about me before"

"Yes...I am aware but..." nodded Eunji, recalling her memories.

"I am impressed at your skills. You are definitely better at me in terms of riding the motorcycle. Guess girls are better than guys." He chuckled.

"Not really. I just train really hard, that's all."

"I'm here to say sorry." Matthew bowed 90 degrees. "I'm sorry that during that time, I just left you and your friend there. I was so focused on my mission that I didn't think of the consequences that happened. If I was just a second quicker, I could've saved you and-"

"It's okay." said Eunji cooly.

"What?"

"I said it's okay. I'm cool. You're forgiven. There's no need to dwell so much on the past."

"But I still owe you a lot. This guilt continues to haunt me day and night. I can give you anything. If you want money, or a new motorcycle, hell you can even ask me to kill someone you don't like."

"Wait, you're joking right?"

"I'm serious."

"That's wild."

"Just think about it. I'll give you time. You can get back to me later. It's not necessary to decide it now.

"..."

Eunji thought for a moment. As much as she wanted to be a nice lady to refuse such offer, she pondered for a moment whether to make us of this chance to her advantage. After all, it's a one in a lifetime opportunity.

"Fine."

"What do you need?"

"You're a member of The Joker meaning you're probably good with guns and whatnot."

"Who do you want me to kill?"

"No! You're not going to kill anyone today!" Eunji laughed.

"I want you to become a bodyguard for someone special."

[ End of Flashback ]

Gangnam Arts Performing Hall.

After parking her bike, Eunji took out a ticket from her pocket. She brimmed with pride upon reading it.

HAMLET AT GANGNAM ARTS PERFORMING HALL 8PM

The girl walked in and got her seat at the middle row. As much as watching plays wasn't her cup of tea, but it didn't matter because Naeun is acting. She wouldn't really pay attention to the story because her eyes would be all on her. Waiting for the lights to go off, her phone vibrated as a message notification popped up on the screen.

"She's dressed and all ready to go." - Matthew

"Noted. I'm inside. Keep an eye on her."

"Alright."

She loved the idea of feeling at ease because she has Matthew to rely on.

Ever since Naeun made her promise to quit her career and services, a lot of her customers continued to pester her. Men from all walks of life were upset. Blinded with lust, some would stalk her or even harass her. Because Eunji can't always be there to protect Naeun, she made use of the opportunity and hired Matthew as Naeun's bodyguard.

After the play, Eunji headed backstage and peeked inside to see Naeun seated at the dresser. Her eyes faltered around the room, making awkward stares at the staff. She wasn't sure what to do.

"You can come in." giggled Naeun finding her actions cute.

"O-Oh really? Okay then..." chuckled Eunji in embarassment, bowing as she greeted the staff.

"I saw you in the audience seat. You really came."

"Of course. It's your first ever play. I loved it."

"Don't lie, you slept halfway didn't you?"

"NO-WHAT DO YOU MEAN-"

Naeun laughed in response. Eunji has never changed. She was still the same girl who would fall into her tricks. Holding onto her hand as the silver rings wrapped around their fingers met, Naeun gazed into her eyes.

"It's a joke unnie."

"I know. I was just playing along." smiled Eunji. "You think I would fall for it again?"

"And now you're playing mind games."

"Winner gets the top." The girl winked in which Naeun hit her in response, having full idea what that meant.

"Unnie!! People can hear us!!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA"

"Bom-ah, where are you?"

"I'm coming! I'm literally like running up the stairs!"

"Fine." sighed Chorong as she hung up.

"It's okay Chorong-ah, we can wait." smiled Solar.

"Yeah, we're not in a hurry to order." said Irene.

"More like I wish she'd hurry up so I don't look like a third wheeler here." thought Chorong.

It was intended to be a small gathering among the girls who wanted to introduce their girlfriends to each other. Around the table, Chorong felt uncomfortable somewhat feeling left out as Solar and Irene were certainly more preoccupied with their own girlfriends. Irene's girlfriend is Wendy, an owner of a quaint bakery downtown. Solar's girlfriend on the other hand is Moonbyul who works as a sales women in the car industry.

Tapping her fingers on the table, Chorong smiled awkwardly in reply as she didn't want to interrupt their moment together. If only Bomi was by her side now, everything would be perfect. She wasn't exactly good with strangers and being a temporary third wheeler felt even worse.

Wanting to kill time, the girl quietly flipped through the menu. She tried her best to avoid making eye contact with the couples who were whispering and giggling to each other.

"Unnie!"

Chorong turned around as she finally, smiled naturally.

"Bom-ah!"

"Sorry! The train station is so packed and everything-" said Bomi taking deep breaths, exhausted. She bowed and extended her hand for a handshake to Moonbyul and Wendy. "Hi, I'm Yoon Bomi. Pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure to meet you too."

As Bomi settled down, the table was complete.

"So you sell cars, Moonbyul-ssi?" asked Bomi.

"Yup, not the normal ones. We've got Lamborghinis, Ferraris, more recently into the market there's the new Porsche Cayman or the BMW M2." explained Moonbyul with enthusiasm.

"Ha...I don't really know much but my friend, Eunji loves automobiles. I think you would match great with her."

"Match well? Hello? She's mine!" joked Solar, tugging Moonbyul closer to her.

The group laughed as they continued to chat about many things in their life. For the police women, they would reminiscence about the events that occurred last year of their secret mission or discuss things related to work. Chorong was now part of a team with Solar and Irene where they are tasked to investigate various cases happening in the city. Bomi on the other hand, was no longer running around places with odd jobs. She's a clerk at a food company, thanks to Hayoung's recommendation.

"...So yeah, we're starting a family." announced Wendy.

"We're going to adopt Yeri as our daughter." smiled Irene. The couple just got married months ago.

"Awwwww I remember you showed us pictures of Yeri, she's so cuteeeee!" squealed Solar.

"Moonbyul-ssi, you know what to do." winked Bomi with a tease.

"Haha, I don't know. We've talked about getting married once." said Moonbyul as she looked at her girlfriend.

"But I told Byulie that she has to sell an actual car first. All she does is promote but no one buys it."

"That's because the car is expensive. You don't have to pressure her like that." laughed Irene.

"What about you two? Have you thought about marriage yet?" asked Wendy.

"U-Us?" stuttered Chorong as she looked at Bomi.

"Ohhh come onnn, she's gonna reach her thirties soon, just marry her already!" said Solar.

"Y'know, you're the same age as her, grandma." chuckled Moonbyul.

"Did you just call me a grandma?!"

"Okay guys, let's settle down!" said Wendy.

Watching the chaos ensue, Chorong and Bomi turned to look at each other and smiled in response.

It had only been a year.

The idea of marriage, seemed so near yet so far.

Left. Right.

Their eyes scanned every corner as they took each step with caution. Armed with their guns, the two made sure that the area was clear before heading forward. Leaning their backs against the door, they could hear murmurs of women screaming and men who laughed with victory.

"Hayoung. Now." whispered Namjoo to which the girl nodded in response.

Quickly, she took out a device from her bag and pressed a button, causing the lights to shut down, leaving the compound shrouded in complete darkness. This has caused commotion inside as footsteps can be heard, running about.

"Ready?" asked Hayoung.

"Totally."

Quickly, Hayoung opened the door slightly and tossed a smoke grenade through the small opening. She then put on her special night goggles (a gift from Yerin) and headed inside, shooting at the men mercilessly. Namjoo followed from behind as she helped the victims, whose hands were trapped in ropes. The younger girl lead the victims out of the warehouse, where their van was while Hayoung acted as a defender, shooting down enemies that prevented their escape. She made use of the traps she had set up earlier, causing confusion among the men.

As they were distracted, Namjoo and Hayoung ushered the victims into the van. Namjoo stepped onto the accelerator while Hayoung rolled down the window, gun out as she was on the lookout.

The mission was successful.

Tasked with investigating the mysterious disappearance of female office workers at Company Y, Namjoo worked together with Hayoung (at her request with help from Ha Jung Woo), everything went to plan. Turns out, the CEO of Company Y kidnapped three female workers with the intention of ually harrassing them.

With the mission complete, Namjoo and Hayoung were at the police station. After recieving the green light from Choi Minho, the two were allowed to head home.

"How I wish I could do missions with you forever." said Namjoo, remembering that it was only a one time thing.

"Right, I'll be back at that boring lab, looking at screens and all that." sighed Hayoung. "But thanks. Because of that, I could be with you today."

"Wanna come over to my place?"

"I have to head back to the camp."

"Do you really have to go now?" pouted Namjoo, holding onto Hayoung. She didn't want her to leave. Just when she had found the opportunity to meet her again, she would disappear quickly. She wanted to spend every moment with Hayoung, cherishing each second before she leaves.

"I'm just joking. Did you forget that I have a day off tomorrow? Did you even forget that we're meeting the unnies tomorrow?"

"Ah........." Namjoo stared blankly at Hayoung. She couldn't believe that she had forgotten something that important.

"It must be the lack of sleep huh?" chuckled Hayoung, finding Namjoo's lost expression adorable. "Come on, let's go to your place."

Next morning.

Turning to the left side of her bed, Eunji was always used to being greeted by an empty space. She had spent years living alone in her large, spacious apartment that was filled with absolutely nothing. Even though she had all the money in the world, there was no worth spending it on anything.

But all of that, changed in just one year.

Now, she is greeted by a beautiful lady sleeping beside her. Her apartment now filled with colour. Polaroids were stuck on the fridge, picture frames decorated on the shelf, papers messily scattered over the desk and most importantly, two silver rings placed on the marble table.

Eunji found her light, her meaning to live again.

“Morning.” smiled Eunji as she noticed Naeun wriggling about, groaning as she stretched and tossed around.

“Morning.” giggled Naeun as she greeted her with a peck on the cheek.

“What do you wanna eat for breakfast today? Pancakes? Waffles?”

“Unnie, did you forget we’re supposed to meet them today?”

“AH!” Eunji suddenly rose up from bed as she hastily grabbed her phone to check the time.

“Calm down, it’s only 9am.” laughed Naeun.

“Right! Phew! And I thought I would get scolded by Chorong unnie for being late!” sighed Eunji in relief. “But that also means I still get an extra 10 minutes with you in bed.” She grinned, plopping herself back.

“What do you mean 10 minutes?”

“Oh, you know.” Eunji raised her eyebrows up and down.

“I didn’t teach you to be like that!” said Naeun, hitting her.

“You’re just…too damn good in bed okay?”

“Then you should be grateful having a professional like me as your girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?” Eunji gazed into Naeun’s eyes. “Did you mean fiancée?”

“You still haven’t figured out a way to break the news to them?”

“Well, it’s not like we’re getting married soon. I’m just reserving you.” chuckled Eunji.

“You’ll need to pay a reservation fee then.”

“Oh wow, Nangni. Wow.”

“It’s a joke.” giggled the girl in response. “Come on, let’s go and change.”

“Unnie.” said Bomi with still stuffed with food.

“What?”

“I’m so glad to have a girlfriend who can cook delicious meals.”

“You say that everyday.” Scoffed Chorong, unimpressed.

“Oh, so that didn’t flutter your heart? You sure are hard to please.” pouted Bomi as she crossed her arms.

“Instead of thinking how to flutter my heart, why don’t you pick up the rice scattered all over the table.” sighed Chorong, looking at the mess. “See, you even have one stuck on your cheek.” She reached out her hands to pick it. But, Bomi grabbed Chorong’s wrist and looked at her. Then, she shifted Chorong’s hand to so that she would be fed.

As if nothing happened, Bomi continued to eat silently, still thinking of how to flutter her girlfriend’s heart.

“Hm? Unnie?” The girl asked as she raised her head up to see Chorong sitting still, staring at her.

“You win.” Chorong blinked her eyes, as she formed a smile.

“What?”

“You just fluttered my heart.”

“Huh? That? But that was nothing!”

“You just did that all of sudden so I thought you would kiss me or something-“

Without a second thought, Bomi moved forward and placed a peck on Chorong’s lips.

“Like that?” asked Bomi with a giggle, moving backwards as she noticed a crimson red painted over Chorong’s face.

“Y-Yeah…”

“So unnie’s heart gets fluttered by actions and not words. Okay, noted.” Hummed Bomi as she started writing it down onto her phone.

“Why are you writing it down for?!” said Chorong speechless as she laughed. She found it adorable.

“Well, it’s not fair that you’re always fluttering my heart and I don’t get the chance to do so. You’re always such a difficult woman to impress but that obviously just means I gotta work harder to show my love to you.” rambled Bomi.

“I appreciate the effort Bom-ah but why don’t you use that to focus on your work? Didn’t you get scolded by your boss for not paying attention?”

“Uh…that’s…a different matter.”

“Lies. Stop beating around the bush.”

“OH LOOK! IT’S ALMOST TIME OTHERWISE WE WILL BE LATE! QUICK, EAT YOUR FOOD UNNIE!” said Bomi, wanting to divert the topic as she shoved food into .

“Gosh, Bom-ah.” said Chorong speechless as she smiled. “You never change.”

“Goddamn it, all the restaurants are still closed.” sighed Hayoung as the two were already out on the streets, wanting to find a place for breakfast.

“Guess we’ll stick with convenience store food.” shrugged Namjoo.

“Well, we both at cooking so it’s better than burning your kitchen.” said Hayoung as they walked inside.

“If only we had Chorong or Eunji unnie…” mumbled Hayoung, remembering that they were the best cooks among the six.

Scanning the aisle of items, the couple decided on three cups of ramen, packages of sweet bread and heated sausages. Sitting outside, the street across was empty. It was just the two of them.

Hayoung observed Namjoo eating diligently, chopsticks stirring the ramen soup while another hand was shoving bread inside , she must’ve been really hungry. The girl was always amazed as to how much she could eat.

“Y’know, I wonder whether you have like a vacuum cleaner in your stomach or something.” said Hayoung, not touching her food. “If you had to choose, would it be food or me?”

Namjoo placed everything down on the table and looked at her. Hayoung stared back in anticipation.

“Food.” said Namjoo as she continued eating like normal.

Hayoung pouted in response, it did hurt. “It’s okay, I like Bbang more than you.”

“W-What?!” Namjoo’s eyes widened. It was supposed to be a joke but she didn’t think Hayoung would take it seriously. “Who’s Bbang? Is it a man? A woman?”

At that moment, Hayoung smirked. She then took out her phone and showed her a video of a robotic dog moving on a table.

“It’s a dog that Yerin’s been trying to make. Ain’t it cute?”

“Ah…Bbang is a dog…” said Namjoo, her voice getting softer but somehow, she was felt relieved. Hayoung noticed this and immediately leaned forward.

“I win this time.”

“I can’t really beat you huh? So what do you want in return?”

“Take a week off.”

“What?”

“Sorry, I told another lie. I actually took a whole week off just to spend time with you. Why? You don’t like it?”

“Hayoung-ah…”

Without saying anything else, Namjoo pecked her lips. “I love it.”

“Great. Call Solar unnie now and tell her you’re not coming to work for a whole week. If she doesn’t allow, say that you’re sick then I’ll just hack in and make some fake medical evidence for you.”

“Hey! Don’t do that, it’s illegal!”

“I know, I’m just joking.” laughed Hayoung.

12:15PM.

“There they are!” said Chorong as she waved over to her friends, arriving.

All six, have finally gathered, complete. Chattering away with many stories of their life, they were all excited yet nervous at the same time, standing in front of the gate that brought back many memories of their childhood. It was still amazing how the building stayed exactly the same as before.

“Ready to go in?” asked Chorong with a smile.

“Yup!”

Walking inside, they were first greeted with the large courtyard. Memories played through their heads about the days they would run around to play games.

“Naeun-ah, I still remember how you would always magically trip over something here.” giggled Eunji, pointing at the ground.

“Unnie was really clumsy as a child. I don’t know whether she was possessed by a clumsy ghost or something.” joked Hayoung.

“S-Shut up….” mumbled Naeun in embarrassment.

“Hey, you think she’s in? What if she died?” asked Bomi.

“As if!” hissed Chorong, about to hit her in which Bomi flinched in response.

“Aw come on, I’m sure she’s still here! The orphanage is still running normally.” said Namjoo.

“Can we please hurry up? The kids are staring us like we’re some aliens.” said Eunji, looking around awkwardly.

“Hi, what’s your name?” asked Naeun as she bent down and smiled.

“Sejun! This is my brother, Subin!” The child replied. “Who are you, noona?”

“Sejun-ah! Subin-ah! What did I tell you about speaking to strangers?”

A raspy, stern voice could be heard from afar. It came from the direction of the small garden located behind the orphanage.

“Oh wow, her eagle eyes still work.” whispered Bomi.

“Grandma Soonkyu!” shouted the boys as they ran to her arms. The girls followed them and smiled warmly upon finally reuniting with their caretaker.

“Oh my…am I dreaming?” asked Soonkyu as she adjusted her glasses. “Chorong…Bomi…Eunji…Naeun…Namjoo…Hayoung…is that you?”

“Yes. It’s us, Aunt Soonkyu.” nodded Chorong with a smile.

There were butterflies swirling through their stomachs, a strange influx of emotions, a mix of happiness, sadness, fulfilment and also regret. Everything that they’ve gone through in their lives, they couldn’t wait to tell everything to their caretaker.

Rather than just a caretaker, Soonkyu was a motherly figure to all six of them.

They remembered her as a beautiful lady and now, she has white hair and wrinkles all over her body. She walks around with a cane, suffers from back problems but still strong.

“We have so much to talk about, my dear daughters.” smiled Soonkyu warmly.

It was hard to leave the orphanage.

They had spent over six hours, chatting, eating and just relaxing in the comfort of their former home. But the girls promised to visit often. After all, the kids seemed to like them.

Taking the bus together, there was silence. It was rare. Usually when the six were together, it would be filled with a lot of ruckus and noise. But the girls were feeling emotional, returning to the orphanage and talking with Aunt Soonkyu. It was a kind of experience that has strings tugging your heart.

“Unnie, your phone is ringing.” said Naeun, nudging Eunji.

“Oh.” The girl glanced at the caller. “Hello, Suho?”

“Hey Eunji, you free to talk right now?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Remember LLNK and how they were actually not related to North Korea in the end?”

“Yeah…?”

“That’s not the end of it. Moon Hee Jun wasn’t the one behind it. He was simply a leader for one of the groups.”

“What? You’re telling me there’s more?”

“Yup…Eunji-ya, I think there are more kids out there who are conned into what you’ve experienced. I know it’s sudden and all but, I think there’s a big connection to your case. Anyways, I’ll fill you in on the details later. Where are you?”

“Uh…” The girl stared at her friends.

“Hm? What’s wrong Eunji-ya?” asked Chorong.

“Who is it?” asked Bomi.

“Well guys…I think we have work to do.”

THE END

A/N: When you define "Serendipity", it would be occurence of events in a happy way. If you have noticed, whenever something bad happens in the story, luck is always on their side. I just wanted to explain the original concept of how I thought of Serendipity haha. Thank you for joining me on this adventure! I wanted to leave the ending as a cliffhanger haha, it's always fun to imagine what would happen next~ As always, I love trying out new genres so Serendipity is something totally new. I guess one of the struggles is trying to balance out all three ships in this story ><.. There's always a lot of errors here and there, but I'm still a writer who is learning so I apologize if it looks a bit weird in some parts! I'm always open to criticisms! Thank you for reading, subscribing and upvoting! 

I'll be taking a break before I return~

See you around in my other fanfics? :) -pinkpanda419 (5/3/2018)