“It was your fault for bumping into the cart!” 

 

“This area was supposed to be clear!” Juyeon and Jiyeon were running down a corridor, chased by two goons.

 

Jiyeon pressed her comms, dodging the bullets coming at them as they turn a corner. “Xuanyi, how do we get out of here?!” 

 

“First door on the left, staircase!”

 

They hurried down two flights of stairs, finally opening a metal door to an alleyway, escaping the bad guys.

 

“You guys better get back to HQ. Sojung is raging.” Juyeon rolled her eyes at Xuanyi’s comment as she grabbed onto Jiyeon’s coat to drag her into a nearby building for extra measure.

 

“When will you stop being mad at Xuanyi, babe?” Jiyeon slumped against the freezer doors in the drink section of the store they found themselves in.

 

Juyeon scowled, sifting through the chips on another aisle. “Never.”

 

“Oh, come on! We hooked up ONCE-”

 

“They knew we were coming.” Juyeon interrupted, suddenly, plucking a huge bag of Doritos. “Why else would there be a fancy camera set up in the lobby of a dingy half star hotel?”

 

Jiyeon squinted at the taller girl. “How do you do my job better than I do?” She paused. “Don’t answer that.”

 

 

Sojung was pacing the floors, concerned looks etched on the tech units faces. Their leader had barged in, demanding them to tell her where they sent Jiyeon and Juyeon. 

 

“We didn’t want to worry you, boss.” Yeonjung muttered weakly. They watched as she stopped in her tracks, pinching the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes.

 

She pointed a finger at Xuanyi. “You better hope they get back in one piece.”

 

 

It had been two months since they captured the drug ring leader, but they were still on the hunt for his partner, who they soon found out was his older brother.

 

The drug ring leader’s name was Hyungwon, and his brother, the crooked CEO some of them were after years before, was Wonho.

 

Dayoung had been staying over at Yeoreum’s whenever she could, feeling uneasy being at home alone. Half the team spent most of their time at HQ rather than going home these days. 

 

Radio silence. Small, non-reliable leads here and there. Sojung was getting antsy, making the rest of her team ten times more nervous. She was under the stress of keeping her members safe. This mission got personal when they called Dayoung out.

 

Bickering was heard coming down the hall outside Sojung’s office, indicating that Jiyeon and Juyeon have arrived.

 

Sojung stood up from her desk as they filed in, the bantering coming to a halt when they see the look on her face. “Sit.” She sternly told them.

 

With widened eyes, they quickly obeyed, and sat on the two chairs set up in front of the leader’s desk. They watched as Sojung slumped into her chair, heaving a sigh.

 

“Just let me know next time you guys go out to follow a lead.” The leader rubbed at her tired face, Juyeon pouting at her with pity.

 

“Sorry, we were just so bored and eager to track something down. It’s been too quiet lately.”

 

Sojung straightened up in her seat. “Let the tech unit know we need them combing through the chatter on the dark web.” 

 

Jiyeon saluted her boss as they all stood up to leave the room. Sojung made a beeline for the lounge while Juyeon followed closely behind. 

 

“Boss, we have to look into the location we followed up on today.” Sojung opened the door, holding it as she threw a response over her shoulder.

 

“Take Meiqi and Dawon to stake it out. You and Jiyeon have had enough fun.” A blush crossed Juyeon’s face as she watched Sojung throw a smirk before she closed the door. 

 

 

Night came and the girls were slouched in their car, parked across the street from the small hotel. Juyeon was in the back seat, scarfing down the take out food they got before the stake out.

 

“Slow down, we have the rest of the night to stay in this car. Control yourself!” Dawon swatted at the grinning girl who had full of food.

 

Meiqi scowled at her bickering friends, and turned back to keep an eye on the front entrance with her camera. 

 

Hours went by, each girl yawning and slapping faces to keep awake. Two in the morning came around and there was finally movement coming out of the hotel.

 

“No way.” Meiqi muttered, camera pointing straight at the mysterious girl wrapped up in a big coat, scarf covering half her face. She jostled Dawon from her near slumber, not taking her eyes off the girl as she walks down the street.

 

Juyeon scrambled to her window and squinted. “You know that looks a lot like-“

 

“Nayeon?”

 

“Yes, but with different colored hair- holy crap.” Juyeon muttered to herself. “Guys, that IS her!”

 

Their undercover op at the college led them to arrest several of the sorority girls, including Nayeon, just for being affiliated with the drug ring. They were sentenced to six months in a correctional facility.

 

The shutter sounds of Meiqi’s camera went off as the three of them stared out the car windows at the former sorority girl waiting at the bus stop.

 

“You guys think it’s a coincidence she’s here at this specific hotel?” Dawon questioned, a dark feeling looming around them as they shrunk further down their seats just in case Nayeon were to spot them across the street.

 

Silence came over them, none of them wanting to say what everyone was thinking. Juyeon’s first ever undercover mission and her operation with her combat unit has officially tied together. 

 

They watched as Nayeon got into a black SUV that sped away as soon as she got in. “Let’s just wait another hour.” Meiqi yawned as she laid her head back on the seat. 

 

 

Days later, Meiqi got the news from Sojung that another person from their past has shown recent activity.

 

“You will not believe who resurfaced, too.” Meiqi said ominously as she sat on top of Juyeon’s desk. She raised her eyebrows, interest piqued.

 

“Too?”

 

“Minatozaki Sana.” Juyeon dropped the files that were in her hands as her eyes widened. Dawon walked by as she heard the familiar name.

 

“Wasn’t that your-“ Juyeon quickly stood up to cover Dawon’s mouth, giving her a pointed stare and looking around to see if anyone had been eavesdropping. 

 

“First Nayeon, now Sana? Them being out early means they’re on parole.” Juyeon diverted. 

 

Meiqi looked at her partners amusedly. “That’s not all. Sojung wants to send someone to meet with her. Someone that isn’t any of us.”

 

“Why would Sojung think she’d be useful to talk to?” Juyeon pondered out loud.

 

“She was with someone matching the description of the man we’ve been hunting.” Meiqi explained as she studied the look on Juyeon’s face. Dawon gasping quietly in response to all this information.

 

Juyeon ignored the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as she set off to see Sojung in her office. She had to get in on this meeting, even if it risked blowing their cover.

 

 

“Anyone else see the irony in all this?” Dawon chuckled as she slid into a booth in the back of the fancy restaurant. 

 

Juyeon grumpily seated herself at a table five feet away from Dawon, the bar in full view. “I’m kicking your after this.” They spoke discreetly into their comms.

 

Jiyeon waltzed inside, wearing a red dress and coat, and took a seat at the bar. “Let me know when you see her coming in.” 

 

Ten minutes passed as the target finally walked inside the big restaurant. Juyeon hid behind her menu, taking extra precautions even though she looked different the last time Sana saw her.

 

“Approaching, girl in the pink dress.” Juyeon muttered quickly into her comms. She watched as Sana sauntered up to the bar, catching the bartender’s attention and ordering a drink.

 

“It’s showtime.”

 

 

“You... must be Bona.” The pretty girl flirted, taking a seat next to the undercover detective, unbeknownst to her.

 

“And you must be Sana.” Jiyeon flirted back smoothly. She ignored Juyeon growling over the comms.

 

“I really am dumb for signing onto this.” Dawon held back a cackle as she flagged down a waitress for a drink. Juyeon gave her a pointed look behind her menu.

 

“What? Got to look inconspicuous.” She shrugged, taking a sip of her soda. Juyeon rolled her eyes as she turned back to watch the scene unfolding in front of her.

 

Sana looked a bit different from the last time she saw her, even though it hadn’t even been half a year. She seemed to have lost a little weight and dyed her hair a darker color, like she herself did after the mission. 

 

Juyeon inwardly sighed as she clicked off her comms and decided to order a drink, too. Jiyeon and Sana barely scratching the surface of the purpose of this whole meeting because of the constant flirting. 

 

 

“I’m looking to see who’s a big deal in these neck of the woods, if you know what I’m saying.” Jiyeon said quietly, taking a sip of her drink as she pretended not to see Sana’s questioning gaze.

 

The questioning gaze was quickly replaced by flirty eyes. “My boss is.” She started to brag with no filter. “He’s the biggest deal in town.”

 

Juyeon and Dawon perked up from their positions at Sana’s sudden admission. They looked at each other, Juyeon refraining from rolling her eyes, again. Sana really was too naive.

 

“Well, can I meet him? I’ve got a lot to offer.” Jiyeon smiled charmingly. 

 

Sana pondered for a while, muttering to herself while the other girl waited patiently. “Boss doesn’t like it when I send him randoms.” She hesitantly said, a flash of uneasiness coming across her face.

 

Jiyeon grabbed Sana’s hand softly, pulling her in close to whisper in her ear, holding an unloaded gun to the girl’s side. “Honey, I’m no random.” She could hear the girl gulp. 

 

“I’ll give you his location.”

 

 

They waited a while after Sana left to sneak out through the back, their van parked in an alleyway with Meiqi inside. 

 

“So, how did it go?!”

 

Juyeon groaned as Dawon snickered. Jiyeon smacked her girlfriend’s shoulder. “You are so cruel for using that poor girl!”

 

The taller girl snorted. “Well, you just did too!” She crossed her arms.

 

“Yeah, but, you slept with her.” Dawon cackled, interjecting her unwanted words.

 

Juyeon sat in the back with a pout on her face as they drove back to HQ. She thought about Sana and Nayeon, and how they were back to being servants for bad men. 

 

She thought about how he probably recruited them because they worked for his brother, trusting them by default. What a foolish man.

 

“Hey, you alright?” Jiyeon bumped her shoulder. “I know it was weird for you.”

The van was loud and the road was bumpy under them. It was dark outside, but it was extra dark inside the van because of the tinted windows.

 

“Yeah, just brings up a lot.” Juyeon sighed as Jiyeon nodded understandingly. “But, that’s all in the past.” 

 

She smiled at her girlfriend, even though it was barely visible in the dark van.

 

 

Dayoung was snuggled into Yeoreum’s side, the other girl playing with her hair. They were resting on the couch in the forensics lab. 

 

“We can stop by your house to get clean clothes?” Dayoung shook her head. 

 

“Can’t I just wear your clothes?” She smiled up at her friend. Friend, Dayoung thought. Is that what they really were?

 

Yeoreum gave her a wide smile back. “Fine, silly.”

 

“When you two lovebirds are finished with whatever is going on, report to Sojung.” Luda sighed from her lab desk, pulling off her glasses as she pushes away her microscope. “She needs to know what we found.”

 

Dayoung blushed, but Yeoreum just laughed. “Lovebirds? Yuck. Let’s go, babe.” She took the girl’s hand and pulled her out of the lab. Dayoung ignored the small plunge her heart took at Yeoreum’s comment.

 

 

“She gave up his location? Just like that?” Sojung was suspicious, the others reporting to her as soon as they arrived. “How do we know this isn’t a trap?”

 

Juyeon sighed. “Trust me, she wouldn’t do that.” Sojung raised her eyebrow at the tall girl. She decided not to question her, her plate already full with plenty of other things.

 

“Alright, good job, you guys. Dismissed.”

 

The four of them left her office, running into Dayoung and Yeoreum who were holding hands. Juyeon raised her eyebrow at their entangled hands, smirking as Dayoung caught onto her line of sight, blushing as she let go of Yeoreum’s hand. 

 

“How’s the forensics lab, Dayoung? We miss you up here. Don’t stay too long in the basement.” Dawon winked as she walked away with a laughing Meiqi. 

 

The younger girl scowled back in response to their teasing. “Having a great time, thank you!” She yelled after them.

 

“Now, if you’ll excuse us.” Yeoreum shot them a smile, dragging Dayoung again and into Sojung’s office. 

 

Jiyeon smirked. “Those two are so cute, don’t you think?” Juyeon let out a loud laugh as she put her arm around her girlfriend’s shoulder, leading them to the exit. 

 

“They definitely are.”

 

 

The tapping of keyboards, the clicking of mouses, Yeonjung needed to get out before the sounds drove her even crazier. Everyone had gone back home, but she decided to stay and keep an eye on the dark web for chatter.

 

Sojung had updated the whole team, but it left everyone suspicious. If this man, Wonho, was as elusive and deceitful as Dayoung made him out to be, why would it be this easy to get his location? It was too good to be true.

 

But all bad guys must have faults, she guessed. It was most likely a trap, but knowing her team, they would still follow up on it. Given their circumstances, any lead was better than nothing.

 

Yeonjung heaved a sigh as she pushed her chair away from the monitors, standing up to walk around the dark room.

 

Wonho is a ghost. He has all his people doing the dirty work for him, whatever that may be. Most of the people on the dark web thought he was just a myth.

 

But he was so very real. And it frustrated her to know that he is after one of their own. 

 

 

It was a trap. 

 

Meiqi and Dawon were ambushed once they stepped into an office inside a big warehouse. Shots were fired while Sojung and Hyunjung went in as back up. 

 

Dawon’s shoulder was grazed, and Meiqi had a bloody lip. 

 

“Are you guys alright?!” Sojung exclaimed.

 

“Yes, but you should see the others.” Dawon grunted, holding onto her bleeding shoulder. 

 

There were two big men laying flat on the ground behind a desk across the room. Two bullets in each of their chests.

 

Sojung spoke into her comms. “Dayoung, how’s the perimeter?” There was a long pause before loud crackling.

 

All of them looked around with wide eyes. “This place is rigged!” Dawon shouted. They all rushed back towards the entrance, jumping out just in time the warehouse exploded. 

 

Meiqi lifted her head from the asphalt, groaning at her head spinning and her ears ringing. She looked around at the others on the ground, relieved to find them all in one piece.

 

“We need to find the others!” Hyunjung shouted, her voice barely audible over the temporary loss of hearing.

 

 

Juyeon, Dayoung and Jiyeon had split up to check the perimeter. The warehouse was on an empty lot, across the river flowing through town. It was quite isolated in this area.

 

“Guys, over here! I need help!” They heard Juyeon scream out. They followed her voice out to the docks and found her cradling a girl’s body.

 

Dayoung and Jiyeon hesitantly approached. “Is that-“

 

“It’s Sana! She barely has a pulse and is unconscious, but she’s been shot in the gut!” Juyeon was distraught as she applied pressure to the wound. “We got to call for an ambulance!”

 

Jiyeon crouched down and patted her shoulder comfortingly. “Dayoung, call for an ambulance and tell the others.”

 

Just then, their comms crackled to life, Sojung’s voice flowing through. But before Dayoung could listen and reply, there was a huge explosion.

 

“What the hell was that?!” Jiyeon stood up, alarmed at the warehouse going up in flames. Dayoung had her hands against her head in shock. Juyeon cried out a startled yelp at the loud noise, trying not to divert her attention too much as she focused on Sana’s wound.

 

 

Firetrucks, ambulances, bomb squad were all there within the next seven minutes. Juyeon never left Sana’s side as the others went to go find the rest of their team. 

 

“Thank god you guys got out!” Jiyeon exclaimed as she reached her members. They were all being checked out in the ambulances, getting patched up.

 

Sojung looked up at the vague sound of Jiyeon. “What did you say?” She said in a loud voice. 

 

Jiyeon walked closer and raised her voice. “I’m glad you guys got out in time!” Sojung chuckled and nodded her head, hardly hearing a word she said.

 

“She probably couldn’t hear you that time either.” Dayoung whispered to the older girl. She nudged her shoulder, nodding her head towards the ambulance across the lot, tending to Sana. “Juyeon is going with her to the hospital.”

 

“Do you think that’s a bad idea?” Jiyeon asked the younger girl without breaking her gaze on her girlfriend. 

 

“Do you?” She answered back.

 

Jiyeon sighed as she looked around at her injured members, and then back at Sana. “We need her to stay alive. She’s going to have a target on her back. She needs to be protected, and Juyeon can be there for her.”

 

Dayoung looked deep in thought. She knew what it felt like. She heaved a big sigh as she simply nodded in agreement.

Having Sana in their custody would be useful to them, if she stayed alive, that is.

 

 

“Do you think we’ll get to debut together?” Eunseo asked the older girl while they laid next to each other on their beds. 

 

Bona thought of her answer carefully. “Maybe in a different life.” She replied wistfully. 

 

Eunseo quirked her brow at that, propping her head up on her hand as she lifted herself to look at Bona. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

Bona just stared back and leaned in for a kiss, successfully diverting the conversation. 

 

 

Juyeon stared at a sleeping Sana in a hospital bed as she had flashbacks of her past missions. She knew she was weak when it came to the matters of the heart. That was the very downfall of all her undercover operations, and it was all because of Bona.

 

She bitterly chuckled at the code name Jiyeon chose for herself. That was all in the past, she had moved on with Jiyeon, but maybe not so much with Bona.

 

Juyeon sighed into her hands as they came up to cover her face. It had been a long night. She was getting delirious from lack of sleep and the current situation in front of her.

 

 

“What do you want to do after university?” Sana asked Eunseo one night, after a late night rendezvous. 

 

“Not sure, to be honest.” She shrugged off the question for herself, but was curious about the other girl’s answer.”

 

Sana’s eyes started to sparkle as she went on about how it was a dream of hers to open a small little cafe by the river, and how she’s thought of it since she was a kid. 

 

Eunseo smiled at the genuine enthusiasm the girl oozed at the dorky thought of a cafe. Then it dawned on her that Sana was a sweet girl who just fell in with the wrong crowd. She didn’t want to see her go down with the others.

 

 

Juyeon’s phone buzzed in her pocket. Three text messages from Sojung, one from Dawon, and one from Jiyeon.

 

Dawon sent her a gif of two penguins hugging, with a reassuring message attached.

 

Sojung asked to come by her office when she got back to HQ, followed by a cheesy text addressed to Hyunjung to get her a heart shaped donut for breakfast, followed up by another text apologizing that the text was meant for her wife.

 

Juyeon chuckled quietly at that. Her finger hovered over her message from her girlfriend. Before a bunch of worries could cloud her mind, she opened it.

 

It was a simple red heart emoji. Juyeon smiled softly at her phone.

 

“Eunseo?”

 

 

“Soobin, do you know what was used to detonate the bombs in the warehouse?” 

 

The girl in question clicked away on her lab equipment. “A phone call triggered the explosion.”

 

Sojung was deep in thought. Someone had to have been watching them nearby to know when to set the bombs off at the exact time all of them were inside. 

 

“Take the forensic team back to the site and search the perimeter.”

 

 

Chengxiao circled the lot, looking for tracks. They had been searching the site for hours now, and coming up with nothing. These guys knew not to leave any evidence behind.

 

“I don’t think we’ll find anything.” She sighed, walking up to Yeoreum.

 

“Sojung is not going to like hearing that!” The younger girl replied, snapping a picture of a pouty Xiao with her camera.

 

“Guys, over here!” The others ran over to Soobin. She was crouched over a small piece of cigarette. Yeoreum furrowed her eyebrows. “It’s our best shot.”

 

They shrugged and bagged the evidence. Hopefully, it would be tied to their case.

 

 

“What are you doing here? Where am I?” The girl laying on the hospital looked around groggily. Juyeon stood up as she stared, wide eyed at the now conscious semi-criminal. 

 

“You’ve been shot.” 

 

Sana groaned out. Closing her eyes as she mutters away words Juyeon couldn’t understand. “It was my boss, wasn’t it?”

 

Juyeon wordlessly nodded. 

 

“Are you here to arrest me? Again?” Juyeon shook her head, still unable to speak from the shock of being in the presence of this girl again.

 

“Earth to Eunseo? If that’s even your real name, narc.” Sana said coldly.

 

Juyeon replied in a professional voice, shaking away her personal feelings. “I’m here to protect you and you back to our headquarters once you are discharged.” She stood up straight, making no eye contact.

 

“Great, that’s even worse than being arrested.”

 

 

Luda knocked nervously on the door to Jiyeon’s office. She had admittedly been avoiding the older girl for a couple months now ever since Juyeon broke whatever thing they had off. 

 

Luda wasn’t mad, just slightly upset that her friends didn’t tell her the truth. But she understood that they had their own issues to deal with.

 

“Come in!”

 

She entered the office slowly with a strained smile. “Hey, Jiyeon.”

 

The older girl was sitting at her desk filling out paperwork when she looked up at the voice of her best friend.

 

“Long time no see, Luda.” Jiyeon smirked at her friend’s nervousness. “Sit down, let’s catch up.”

 

Luda stood up straighter, coming to say her piece. “I’m happy that you’re happy, Jiyeon. You guys deserve it.”

 

Jiyeon’s eyes softened at Luda’s admission. She got up from her chair and walked up. “I’m sorry. I should have told you.” 

 

Luda swatted her words away good heartedly. “It’s all good, I know you guys were going through some stuff.”

 

“I missed you, Luda. I was giving you some space until you came to me first.” Jiyeon squeezed the smaller girl’s shoulder. “And I’m glad you did.”

 

Luda smiled at her best friend, relieved that they can move on past this.

 

“Now the real reason I came by,” Luda joked. She handed the detective a file. “I tracked Nayeon’s whereabouts from the moment she got out of the correctional facility.”

 

Jiyeon shuffled through the pages. “She hasn’t been doing much, which is shocking since she is a former sorority girl.”

 

“Xuanyi found some patterns in her credit card purchases.” A slight blush crept up Jiyeon’s face at the mention of the older girl. “So you might want to check that out.”

 

Jiyeon nodded in response, avoiding eye contact as Luda blurted out a goodbye as she went out the office door.

 

 

Dayoung never thought she would want to spend her whole day in the basement of HQ, yet here she is. It just felt so much safer; especially around Yeoreum. Dayoung sighed. 

 

She felt so conflicted, living in this blissful bubble, hiding away from the people that were after her. It was an excuse to spend more time with Yeoreum, and she found that slightly problematic.

 

“Hey, you good?” Yeonjung plopped down onto the couch, next to a dazed Dayoung. “You’ve been staring into space for a good five minutes now.”

 

“Have I?” Dayoung mumbled robotically, still staring ahead. “I’ve just been thinking.”

 

“Oh, yeah? About what exactly? You know you can talk to me about anything, Dayoung.” 

 

The girl nodded. “Everything is just so messed up.” She covered her face with her hands. 

 

Yeonjung understood what she meant, even if Dayoung didn’t outwardly say it. She patted her friend on the back comfortingly, sitting together until her laptop beeped. 

 

She got up and clicked at her keyboard. “Oh god.”

 

Dayoung’s ears quirked up at the wary tone. “What is it? What did you find?” She stood up and joined her friend, looking at a decoded encrypted message on the laptop screen.

 

“There’s been chatter.” Yeonjung quietly said, hesitant on telling Dayoung sensitive news. “He’s planning on doing something big.”

 

 

Ding!

 

“Xiao, can you check on that? It’s the results on the cigarette we found on the scene.” Soobin instructed.

 

The girl in question hovered over the machine. “Oh dear.”

 

Soobin immediately wheeled her chair over. “Did we get a hit?” She looked for herself, gasping in shock.

 

“The others aren’t going to like this.” 

 

 

Juyeon sat at her desk, staring blanking into space, playing around with a pen. They had just been told that the cigarette belonged to Nayeon. Which means, she was the one to detonate the bomb while Wonho shot Sana.

 

It made no sense, but complete sense at the same time. She noticed Nayeon was always more involved whereas Sana was just there for the fun of it during their college days. 

 

She would have to ask Sana if anything happened between them in the correctional facility. 

 

Everything about this was just so messed up.

 

Her phone beeped, a message coming from Meiqi. 

 

Unit meeting, just us three, of course. Lounge in five. 

 

Juyeon sighed, sluggishly standing up to walk over to the lounge on the other side of the office floor. She thought about how this mission was taking an emotional toll on her.

 

Once they finish this case and put the bad guys behind bars, she’s using her vacation days to take Jiyeon on a nice trip somewhere far from here.

 

Juyeon lazily pushed open the door only to find Meiqi and Dawon already sitting around the table with steaming cups of coffee. They looked up at her expectantly.

 

“Sit.” Meiqi spoke up. “We need to have a little chat with you.”

 

She did just that, swiping Dawon’s cup of coffee from her. “What do you guys want?” She takes a sip, cringing at the bitter taste. 

 

“Sojung is conducting the interrogation on Sana.” Meiqi hesitated, gauging a reaction from her team mate. “She might reveal things from the mission we never told her about.”

 

It was easy to miss, but Juyeon froze in her tracks for a second. She took another sip of coffee, but from Meiqi’s cup this time. It wasn’t any better.

 

“I’m sure she won’t disclose many details.” Juyeon shrugged, not really believing it herself. 

 

Meiqi sighed as Dawon spoke up. “Maybe you should come clean. Tell Sojung everything before Sana can implicate you.” 

 

This day was just getting worse and worse for Juyeon. If she could, she’d be halfway around the world somewhere, with Jiyeon, shut off from the outside world. From the worries and problems of her current messy life. 

 

 

Eunseo was split between two options. The first one was to wait for another opportunity to turn them in. And the second one was to rip off the band aid and do it now. 

 

She didn’t want to miss her chance.

 

Sana had finally introduced her to the mysterious man Nayeon hangs around with in the “fun” room. His name was Shownu and he looking for some new recruits to sell his drugs.

 

Eunseo made sure to wire herself, unbeknownst to the people in the room with her. She also had Meiqi and Dawon standing guard right outside the door. 

 

He was seated on the couch opposite Eunseo, with Sana and Nayeon seated at his sides while a buff man lurks in the corner of the room. 

 

“Sorry, I’m going to have to decline.” Eunseo says as she pulls out her gun, pointing it at the man across her, avoiding Sana’s incredulous look.

 

Meiqi and Dawon burst in, their own guns pointed in the same direction. 

 

“Maggie? Dawn?” Sana raises her voice. “What’s going on Eunseo?” 

 

Eunseo tries not to falter, keeping her eyes focused on the grin that’s forming on  Shownu’s face. 

 

“They’re narcs.” He said nonchalantly. “We’ve been caught red handed.”

 

The room grew quiet, Sana’s confused eyes turning into a steely glare. Eunseo gripped her gun tighter as Meiqi and Dawon moved forward to cuff Sana and Nayeon.

 

The big man in the corner moved in front of Shownu, but he pushed him to the side. “Let them take me, I’m not resisting here.”

 

Eunseo was wary at how easily he was complying, but she shoved that to the back of her mind and continued cuffing him, ushering him out of the sorority house.

 

There was a crowd gathered in the front lawn as she spotted Meiqi putting Nayeon in the cop car, the girl being oddly silent throughout the whole exchange, and an unreadable expression to match.

 

Sana, on the other hand, was wrestling against Dawon’s grip. “Are you serious?! Are you serious?!” Eunseo heard Sana shout in her direction, followed by a wave of profanities. 

 

The onlookers gasped, most of them being her now former classmates with mixed looks of curiosity and judgement. At her maybe or at the girls she just arrested. 

 

She wished all of this would’ve gone down quietly, but that was wishful thinking. 

 

Juyeon’s last memory of that mission was Sana’s pleading face from the cop car window as it drove away from the sorority house she spent half the year trying to infiltrate.

 

 

“I apologize for not telling you all the details.” Juyeon mumbled, head down as she sat in the chair across from Sojung’s desk. 

 

She had stopped Sojung right before she walked down to the interrogation rooms. She knew she had to confess and endanger her career rather than have Sana throw Sojung off and endanger their mission.

 

Juyeon missed the way a smirk formed on Sojung’s face, but the cackle coming from the older girl definitely caught her attention.

 

“You thought I’d be mad that you slept with the enemy in order to take them down?” Juyeon tried to answer her boss, but words failed her.

 

“If being a womanizer is you’re way to do things, then by all means.” Sojung shrugged, surprising Juyeon. “I’m not going to be mad at that, but I am mad that you chose to withhold this detail.”

 

Sojung stood up as she walked around her desk to sit on top of it. “I also am fully aware of what goes on between everyone under this roof. I am the head detective after all.” 

 

Juyeon gaped at her. “So why has no one  been punished for breaking the fraternization rule?”

 

Her boss waved her hand dismissively. “I think I was asking for too much back then. I’m going to abolish that rule all together, seeming as no one was even bothering to follow it.”

 

Juyeon let out a small chuckle as she watched the older girl leave the office. “I am sorry, Sojung.”

 

She gave a small smile in return before turning down the hall. 

 

 

An hour passed as Sojung called in the combat unit to her office. They anxiously waited as they stood around.

 

“Turns out Sana crumbled and gave us information that could be of good use.” Sojung announced as she walked in. Juyeon let out a relieved sigh.

 

Meiqi spoke up first. “What did she give us?”

 

“After she got out of the correctional facility, Nayeon dragged her back into the game, but things were different under Wonho’s rule.”

 

The combat unit listened attentively as their leader debriefed them on what Sana confessed. 

 

“She was never in on the meetings, but she knew he had been planning something big for months.” 

 

“That’s what Yeonjung told me after snooping around the dark web,” Dawon added. “Whatever it is, it’s going to happen soon.”

 

Sojung continued on. “She says if we get Nayeon, we’ll know the time and location.”

 

“How do you suggest we do that?” Juyeon questioned, nervous to face the former sorority girl again.

 

“From the patterns Xuanyi found in her credit card purchases. She frequents the same coffee shop every morning at nine.”

 

Juyeon clucked her tongue in annoyance at the mention of Xuanyi, but nevertheless appreciated the help. 

 

Sojung shooed them away, dismissing them to go home and have a good nights rest before coming back bright and early at six in the morning. 

 

 

Yeoreum watched from the bed as Dayoung washed up in the bathroom. These past few months has taken a toll on them, but especially Dayoung. She lost the energetic attitude she always exuded.

 

Dayoung snuck up to cuddle against Yeoreum’s side, being welcomed with open arms.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Yeoreum scrunched her eyebrows. “For what?”

 

“For being there for me.”

 

Yeoreum scoffed as she looked her in the eyes. “Of course. That’s what friends are for.”

 

She didn’t miss the unreadable expression flash on Dayoung’s face. 

 

Yeoreum has been noticing something different. Something between the two of them. She hoped she wasn’t imagining Dayoung reciprocating the same feelings she has for her teammate. 

 

But the timing couldn’t be more awful.

 

She told herself, once they caught Wonho and his people, she would confess to Dayoung.

 

Yeoreum would finally confess what she’s been feeling deep down since the moment they met.

 

 

After Soobin talked to Sojung, she made a beeline back to the forensics lab. She had to tell someone about what she heard in the closet between Jiyeon and Xuanyi.

 

“Xiao! You would not believe what I just witnessed.” The girl in question rolled her chair back from the microscope she was looking through. 

 

“What is it?” 

 

The whole floor shook when Juyeon barreled through the hall and into Jiyeon’s office. “You did what?!”

 

Jiyeon slowly stood up from her chair, hands up in defense. “What did I do exactly?” She spoke slowly and unsurely.

 

“Xiao just told me. You hooked up with Xuanyi.” Juyeon practically spat out.

 

The older girl was caught red handed, and the blush creeping up her face wasn’t helping at all. 

 

“How- how did she possibly know that?” 

 

Juyeon scowled. “Soobin heard you guys.”

 

That was enough to make Jiyeon want to run for the hills. She walked around her desk, slowly approaching a sulking Juyeon. 

 

“Why do you care?” Jiyeon questioned as she looked up at the tall girl. “You don’t even want to be with me.”

 

“But I do!” Juyeon exclaimed. “I really do.”

 

Jiyeon sighed, mixed emotions washing over her. “Why couldn’t you say that before?”

 

“Before you went off with Xuanyi?” Juyeon questioned, utterly displeased. 

 

Jiyeon fought back. “That wouldn’t have happened if you told me when I asked!” 

 

Juyeon let out a groan and a whine, tears threatening to fall down from her eyes. 

 

All she ever wanted was to be with Jiyeon, but every time she made up her mind on wanting to be with her, something comes and ruins it.

 

Jiyeon gently grabbed Juyeon’s hands, afraid she might jerk away. She didn’t.

“Look, I’m sorry that it happened, we can’t erase that. But for what it’s worth, it was a one time thing.”

 

Juyeon sniffled as she stared down at the ground. “This .”

 

Jiyeon cupped her cheeks, leaning in to pepper kisses all over the girl’s face, muttering apologies over and over again.

 

 

“It should be illegal to be up this early.” Juyeon muttered as she swung open the doors to HQ, Meiqi and Dawon following close behind as they carpooled to work together. 

 

Dawon groaned, shifting her sunglasses as they slipped down her nose. “It’s worse when you’re hungover.”

 

Meiqi clucked her tongue. “That’s what you get for deciding to take shots when you knew we had to be up early to catch Nayeon at the coffee shop.”

 

Juyeon cackled as she held open the door to Sojung’s office, everyone quickly filing inside. 

 

Their leader waltzes in right behind them, oozing off high energy. “Good morning! Here’s the plan.”

 

 

“We all knew her plan wouldn’t work!” Juyeon shouted into her comms while she ran through the back exit of the coffee shop. “Take the front, Meiqi!”

 

Nayeon had spotted the three of them entering the shop and made a run for it. 

 

“I’ll just wait here.” Dawon weakly mumbled into her comms as she slumped into a booth, clutching her head. 

 

Meiqi and Juyeon were able to corner Nayeon in an empty alleyway. 

 

“What do you guys want from me? Arresting me once wasn’t enough?” She yelled towards them.

 

Juyeon chuckled, taking several steps closer. “Why is it that you assume we’re here to arrest you? Guilty of something, again?” 

 

The former sorority girl stood her ground, but no words left . Meiqi took the chance to grab her.

 

“You’re coming with us.”

 

 

They returned to headquarters with a sulky Nayeon in tow.

 

“Thanks for giving us that bogus plan, boss.” Meiqi whispered sarcastically as they walk past her office.

 

Sojung sometimes threw out the most ridiculous missions and plans just to see if her team members would notice. It kept them on their toes. She saw it as a teaching lesson.

 

“Glad to know you know it was one!”

 

They sat Nayeon down in the interrogation room, the three of them leaving while Hyunjung enters. 

 

Nayeon pulled at her cuffs. “This is so unfair. I thought I was done with you guys!”

 

“Should’ve thought of that before you got back to your old ways.” Hyunjung says monotonously, tossing the cigarette in an evidence bag onto the table. 

 

Nayeon froze. “What do you mean?”

 

Hyunjung stayed quiet, crossing her arms and squinting at the girl in front of her. This was her best interrogation tactic, intimidating the suspects.  

 

“Alright, fine!” The former sorority girl confessed. “He gave me money to call a number.”

 

Hyunjung’s stare intensified, wanting to get more information.

 

“I knew it was for a bomb, but I had no idea there were people inside!” 

 

Hyunjung hesitated before saying her next sentence. “Did you know he shot your friend, Sana?”

 

Nayeon froze and an expression of shock washed over her face. 

 

“That’s what I thought.” Hyunjung slid out her chair and stood up. “You’re going to help us.”

 

Shock immediately turned into defense. “Why would I do that?”

 

“Because it’s either that or real prison time for you.”

 

 

This was it. This was their last and most important chance to finally catch Wonho. Nayeon had spilled everything. The time and place where his big finale is supposed to go down.

 

“Are you all in your places?” Sojung’s voice crackled into their comms. They had the tower surrounded. 

 

He just had to choose the heart of the city.

 

Everyone replied back positive. It was show time. 

 

Combat unit was tasked to take down his first line of defense, the big men guarding the perimeter. Meiqi took some blows to the stomach, having to limp back to the van the tech and forensic units were in outside. 

 

“Sojung, Meiqi’s out.” Dawon said through her comms. 

 

The leader signaled Hyunjung on her far right to catch up with Juyeon and Dawon. 

 

After minutes passed, the lobby was silent. Now was their cue to close in, but they had twenty floors ahead of them.

 

“Break up into teams of two and cover the floors, I’ll go check out the roof.” Sojung ordered as Hyunjung looked back at her wife, trying not to show concern. 

 

They had an hour left until the grand finale he had planned for months. Whether it was a trap, it was too big of a risk to take since it targeted an area that can cause civilian casualties. It was their duty to risk themselves to save others.

 

Sojung thought about her members and how each and every one of them meant to her as she ran up the stairs to the rooftop. They were her team, her friends, but most importantly, her family. 

 

She thought about Dayoung and how hard this has been on her over the past few months. She wanted him behind bars for causing so much distress to her team.

 

The door to the rooftop was cracked open, Sojung readying her gun as she stepped outside. She spotted a lone man across the roof, facing away from her. 

 

“How courageous of you to come up here alone.” 

 

Hyunjung had disclosed an important detail to Sojung. Nayeon had said he would be on the roof. Sojung wanted the others far away from him as possible while she dealt with it alone.

 

She couldn’t let her team be harmed any further.

 

Sojung held up her gun, her aim steady at his figure as he turned around. 

 

“I could only expect that for a leader.” He grinned wickedly, unsettling thoughts coming to her mind at his words.

 

Her comms crackled. “Onto the fifteenth floor, still no bomb.” 

 

Sojung cocked her gun. “Where is it?”

 

He shrugged nonchalantly, crossing his arms. “Where is what?”

 

Sojung shot at the ground next to his foot, sufficiently surprising him. He raised his hands up in defense as his smirk came back.

 

“It’s too late.”

 

 

Meiqi and the others watched as the top part of the tower was blown up. “Guys! Get out of there!” She screamed into her comms. 

 

Juyeon and Dawon were walking towards the elevator when they heard a rumble above them. They gave each other a look of extreme concern. 

 

Hyunjung and Jiyeon came running around the corner. “That was the bomb, we need to get out of here.”

 

They all filed into the stairwell. “You guys get to safety, I’m going up to help Sojung.” 

 

Her members gave her an incredulous look. “We’re coming with you.” Juyeon stated, eyes blazing with determination. 

 

The tower shook again, another bomb going off above them, but closer. 

 

“We can’t get up there, we’ll all die.” Dawon yelled over the noise as they grabbed onto the rails. 

 

“I can’t leave without her!” Hyunjung screamed, tears threatening to fall down her face. 

 

Juyeon grabbed onto the older girl. “She can take care of herself, she’ll find a way out.”

 

Jiyeon put a reassuring hand on Hyunjung’s shoulder. “She would want us to be safe first.”

 

She let the tears fall as she dejectedly followed them down the stairs. Hyunjung knew what her wife would have wanted, doesn’t mean she wasn’t happy about it.

She just hoped that Sojung could make it out alive.

 

 

It wouldn’t be Sojung if she had back up plan after back up plan. She maintained her balance as the tower shook, searching the skies for the rescue helicopter she called for before the mission.

 

Wonho started to make a run for it, but there was only one way down, and that was to jump off the building. Sojung wasn’t going to let him escape that easily. 

 

She shot his lower leg, stunting his movements as he yelped out in pain.

 

“You’re not going anywhere!” She yelled at him over the sounds of the approaching helicopter.

 

 

The silence was deafening. The team stood outside with bated breaths as they waited for Sojung to come back to them safely. They had noticed a helicopter take off from the roof, immediately knowing that their leader had planned an escape route.

 

The roads were evacuated ahead of time, making it clear for the helicopter to land. Firefighters and the bomb squad were on the scene taking care of the tower. 

 

Hyunjung sobbed the moment she saw Sojung, running towards her wife’s open arms. They all scowled at a cuffed and limping Wonho, being escorted by the rescue team from the chopper.

 

“Who are those people?” Jiyeon questioned their leader as they reunited. 

 

“Just some older students I knew during our time at the academy.” She turned back and saluted at them, the rescue group saluting back.

 

“We’re so glad you made it out alive!” Juyeon quipped good heartedly. “We knew you would.”

 

Sojung grabbed the tall girl into a headlock as they formed a group hug. 

 

“Me too.” She mumbled to her team.

 

 

Wonho was thrown into maximum security prison for life. 

 

“Drinks on me tonight!” Juyeon hollered as the rest cheered. 

 

They were back at headquarters, celebrating another end to a mission. 

 

“You buying drinks at the end of every mission should become tradition!” Dawon nudged her friend, laughing as she scowled back at her.

 

As the drinks went around, Juyeon slid up next to a canoodling Sojung and Hyunjung.

 

“So I was thinking, now that this mission is over, can Jiyeon and I have some time off? Like a vacation.” Sojung pretended to ponder, knowing that the anticipation would drive the younger girl crazy.

 

She shrugged, jokingly. “Not sure about that, Juyeon.” Her smirk gave her away as the taller girl squeezed her in a hug. 

 

“Thank you!”

 

“You guys have a week!” They watched as Juyeon skipped towards her girlfriend across the room. 

 

“The kids grow up so fast, don't they?” Sojung had a ghost of a smile on her face at her wife’s words. 

 

“The deja vu of tonight is a bit too much, don’t you think?” She grinned as Hyunjung leaned in for a peck on her cheek. 

 

 

Juyeon wrapped her arms around Jiyeon, resting her chin on her girlfriend’s head. 

 

“Guess what, I got us tickets to Turks and Caicos. We leave at midnight.”

 

The older girl whipped around. “You’re kidding.” 

 

“I’m so not!” Juyeon took out two plane tickets from her jacket pocket. “I got these last night when you fell asleep.”

 

“You got them without even knowing the outcome of today?” Jiyeon questioned.

 

Juyeon scoffed in response. “I knew we were going to catch him.”

 

“Fair point, but what if Sojung didn’t let us go on vacation?”

 

“I was planning on escaping with you, anyway.” Juyeon smiled softly as she wrapped her arms around the smaller girl’s neck. “You deserve it, I deserve it, we deserve it.” 

 

A huge grin finally made it’s way onto Jiyeon’s face. They have come so far over the years, and they were finally going to get some personal time to themselves. Time spent with only each other, cut off from the worries of their job.

 

 

“I’d like to say something!” Sojung’s voice boomed over the office, the attention of the whole team on her now. 

 

“It’s been a hard couple of months, but I’m glad we pushed through it together.” Sojung started to choke up, the two glasses of wine contributing to her sappy behavior. “I want you all to know how much I appreciate your hard work and teamwork.” 

 

“To my team!” Sojung raised up her glass. “My family.”

 

“Family!” Everyone shouted together,  laughing and wiping at their tears. 

 

 

“What are you doing here?” Yeoreum asked groggily as she opened the door to her apartment to see Dayoung nervously fidgeting. “We got him. Everyone’s behind bars. You’re safe to go home now.”

 

Dayoung blurted out her next words before she could stop them. “But I want to be with you!” She slapped her hands against as a sly smile started to form on Yeoreum’s face.

 

“It’s about time you said something.” Yeoreum smirked and pulled Dayoung inside, finally kissing her.

 

“But, I don’t get it.” Dayoung stuttered out afterwards. 

 

“Easy. I’ve loved you since the day I saw you.”