Everything seemed to slow down. The guard turned around to look at Eunbi at a painfully slow rate.

Sorry, Yerin. Sorry, I messed up. Sorry, everyone, she chanted in her head. The guard had already turned half his body and Eunbi felt like she went deaf from the shock. She could hear her own blood flowing around in her ears as well as the deafening thumps of her heart. The next few seconds were a blur.

She felt a hand wrap around her wrist coupled with a strong force that pulled her forward in a split second. The next thing she knew, she was already in the lift. Eunha was looking at her with shock evident in her eyes and Sojung jabbed the button to shut the lift doors. But where was Yerin? Then it occurred to her that the hand that had grabbed her was still on her wrist and she could feel her arms resting on something warm and soft. She looked up to see that it was the blonde who had pulled her forward and she was now partially in the latter’s arms.

“If you feel like you’re about to get caught, just run for cover. Surrounding awareness, please.” Yerin said as she grabbed Eunbi’s shoulders to steady the girl. “Are you alright?”

Eunbi wanted to say something but the words wouldn’t come out so she opted to nod instead. Yerin had just saved her from being busted. But how could the girl have known she was about to be caught? She'll have to ask her that later. The lift slowed down and came to a halt. Yerin pulled Eunbi to the side as the doors slid open, just in case there were guards that happened to walk past on the outside. Thankfully there were no guards here.

“They’re probably guarding main access areas. We can relax a little here.” Sojung said as they cautiously stepped out. It was a posh looking office area. The marble pillars and carpeted floor were washed orange by the dim lighting. There was a small reception booth and a seating area as well as a water dispenser.

The door to the office was straight ahead.

“Got the code?” Yerin asked and Sojung stepped forward.

1-1-3-8. Beep.

“Nice,” Yerin said as she pushed the door open. The office was spacious. White bookshelves sat on either end and Taejin’s desk was right in the middle. Behind the desk were full-length windows that allowed for a clear view of the buildings and roads outside.

“Just chill,” Yerin said and patted Eunha’s tense shoulders. The girl got to work, placing the suitcase on the floor and unlatched it. She pulled her hood off and ran a hand through her messy blonde hair.

How sinful, Eunbi thought. Yerin opened the cover to the CPU below the desk and stepped aside for Sojung to place the tapping device. It was a small chip no bigger than the size of a fingernail.

“How’s your heart?” Eunha asked Eunbi who had slumped on the floor beside her. They chose to sit on the floor so as to not leave any trace of their presence on the couch.

“Think it’s malfunctioning.” Eunbi breathed, staring blankly at a book on the shelf.

“It’s okay, me too.” She glanced at the other two girls who were trying to conceal the chip behind the cooling fan.

“You know, Yerin might be nicer than she seems,” Eunha whispered into Eunbi’s ear.

“I never thought she was an unpleasant person.” Eunbi raised an eyebrow at her friend’s sudden statement.

“I mean, she might not be as cold as she seems.” Eunha corrected herself and Eunbi glanced at the girl who had a straight face, eyebrows slightly knitting up as she pointed at something for Sojung to see.

“Really? That’s nice.” Eunbi said under her breath, staring at the blonde as she brushed her bangs to the side for a clear view. They replaced the cover to the CPU and moved on to the landline. Yerin removed the screws and lifted the outer casing of the receiver and handed it to Sojung who was waiting with another chip in hand.

“Do you like her?” Eunha asked.

“What?” Eunbi accidentally exclaimed, causing the two girls to jump and stare at her. “Sorry, sorry.” She said when she saw Yerin’s stern gaze.

“No way! Why would you even think that?” Eunbi hissed.

“I’m just asking! Why are you so uptight about it? Unless…” Eunha have Eunbi a lopsided grin and the girl pushed her away.

“We’re done. Time to go. We’ll use the other exit.” Yerin said as she pulled her hood back up and handed Eunbi the suitcase. Yerin was the last person out of the office, making one last check to ensure that everything was just how it was when they entered before closing the door.

They took the lift back down to the second floor and crept to a service door b