Joon watched Jihyo as she trained in the combat room. He couldn't stop thinking about her ever since that night he sat out their mission. For the most part of that night, after reminiscing about their friendship and how he'd all but single-handedly ruined her world as she knew it, he couldn't stop worrying. Worrying about her safety as they completed the mission. Although it sounded like an easy task, there was always a chance that something could've gone wrong. Without Joon there by her side to help her out or keep an eye on her, he was worried that something might have happened to her despite the fact that the rest of the team were there to help her out.

When he returned to train the next day, Jihyo had treated him just like she had been doing for the past year, giving him the cold shoulder and Joon only just realised how much it pained him to see her like this. Moreover, the other members hadn't stopped talking about "how hot Jihyo looked last night" or how "she looked like she was gonna get some action" from the victim last night. He knew the members were just doing it to annoy him and to an extent, it really did bother him so all he could do was clench his jaw and grit his teeth together to stop himself from reacting. He did it so many times that day, his teeth began to feel like they were going to fall out...

At some point during their day, Joon was sat in the main room with Thunder and Eunjung when Eunjung pointed out that he had the biggest scowl on his face. He snapped at her in response and she had stopped teasing him when he heard a voice behind them.

"Joon, don't be rude and stop reacting like a child over petty stuff," Jihyo said to him, firmly.

Joon turned around to see Jihyo glaring at him before she turned around to walk away. He was a little shocked at her reaction. Didn't she realise he was only like this because he actually cared about her? Then he realised he really couldn't stand it anymore. He didn't want to lose Jihyo and at the rate their friendship was going at the moment, it seemed like if he waited just a little longer, he really would lose his best friend. So one day, after a long day of training, Joon approached her quietly.

"Jihyo..."

Jihyo turned to face him. "Hmm?"

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

Jihyo stared at him for a few seconds. "What for?"

"Just... You know, for acting like an idiot... I... Yeah..."

"Okay," Jihyo turned back to what she was doing.

"Wait. Are you free... Let's... Uhh... Let's do something tonight," Joon said, slapping himself mentally for acting so awkwardly.

Jihyo stared at him with a curious expression. "Umm... yeah, okay. Sure."

Joon smiled back at her as he waited for her to get ready to leave. Since it was late at night and they were both tired, Joon suggested they return to his apartment to "chill out for a while, just like old times", to which Jihyo had smiled and agreed happily with. As Joon was preparing their dinner, Jihyo walked into the kitchen quietly and hoisted herself up onto the kitchen counter, watching him as he cooked.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Joon said, chuckling. An awkward silence filled the room.

"I've missed you," Jihyo replied quietly.

Joon turned to face her, a small and sad smile forming on his lips. "I know, me too."

"What happened to us...?" Jihyo asked herself out loud, looking down at her hands in her lap.

Joon walked over to Jihyo and gingerly placed his arms around her waist, pulling her into a bear hug. She let her head rest on his shoulder as he replied quietly, "We grew up... We realised what a disaster this world we live in is and it took over our state of mind."

Jihyo sighed quietly. Joon pulled back from the hug and put his hands on her shoulders, straightening her back so that he could look her straight in the eyes.

"The fact that we're here at this point, together, is because of me. I'm sorry for bringing you into this, I really am. I promise you that I'll be the one that takes care of you from now on. I won't let anything happen to you, but for me to be able to do that... I can't lose you. I don't want to lose you to this cruel world, Jihyo. So promise me we'll never drift apart again."

Jihyo stared at Joon. She'd never heard him say anything like that before, with such seriousness in his tone and expression.

"I promise," she said quietly. "I promise I'll never leave your side."

Joon stared at her deep in the eyes for a few seconds before grinning happily at her response. He ruffled her hair, much to her protest, and returned to cooking again.

"Yah, stop being lazy and actually do something. I'm just as tired as you are, you know!" Joon exclaimed.

Jihyo smiled at him before jumping off the kitchen counter to help lay the table. They were back to their old selves again, their friendship restored just like that.

***

"Meeting!" Seungho's voice boomed through all the rooms.

The members emerged from their different rooms and gathered in the meeting room, greeted by the Boss' face on the large monitor screen again. The members sat down quietly after greeting the Boss politely, waiting for him to address them.

"Today..." he started slowly. "There will be no mission. Instead, there's something I would like each of you to do. As you have heard me say often, you are a team that formed for a reason. A reason so strong and so deeply implanted into your hearts that it fuels your very beings and desires to perform well. You are a team that built your trust together and a team that happily relies on each other for support."

The members glanced at each other, not sure where the Boss was heading with his speech. It was a little out of the ordinary for him to address them like this but they assumed he had a reason...

"So today, I ask that for the next week, you must train individually in what you are specialised in. Use this week to develop your skills to the point where you believe yourself that you can overcome anything that comes your way. Even when you are acting solo and not as a group."

The members were a little surprised by the Boss' orders. He had always emphasised the importance of their unity and teamwork together to succeed yet he was encouraging them to develop their skills individually... Nothing seemed to correlate and this confused the members.

"I understand the confusion portrayed in some of your expressions right now, but you have always believed that I knew what was best for you so you must believe me now. This will be crucial for you in the future so please use this time wisely," the Boss paused. "There will be new equipment coming later today. Use them well and I will meet you again in one week."

The members thanked the Boss as he nodded curtly at them before he switched his camera off. Whilst the members began talking to each other, running through the possibilities of why the Boss had assigned them the task, the Boss himself leant back in his big leather chair 24 floors above them. He sighed to himself as he looked at the open programme on the computer monitor in front of him. At the top of the programme, was a message written in large letters with the colons flashing:

262:34:59 hours until mission commences

'260 hours...' he thought to himself. 'Just under one week and 4 days.'

He just hoped it was enough time.

***

Throughout the course of the week, the members trained vigorously to develop and hone their skills. The Boss had arranged for 7 trainers to individually monitor their progress along with more highly developed weapons and technology to help them. The trainers were elite assassins that had worked for the government but recently retired, and they were also friends of the Boss. They were harsh when it came to the members' training but incredibly successful in their tactics. The members were subsequently surprised with the amount of training he had expected them to undergo since he hadn't mentioned another mission to them. Regardless, they kept their heads down and worked hard to impress the Boss.

Seungho and Joon, being specialised in close combat, trained night and day with their trainers on combat technique. The trainers, who were even bigger than themselves, showed them that they needed to be light on their feet despite their large sizes. It took them three days to master the difficult techniques they were shown but the trainers were pleased with their progress. After learning those techniques, they developed their skills in attacking opponents. Having trained for a few years, the duo knew the weak spots of humans, the pin points in the body that can paralyse and render people unconscious with a single tap. However, they still had more to learn and the trainers appointed to oversee them taught them the methods they knew within a day.

Jihyo and G.O, trained in handguns, were the first to experience using the new weapons the Boss had ordered for them. They were high-calibre handguns that required extreme steadiness and accuracy to shoot. Jihyo and G.O struggled with the unfamiliar weapons in the first day but after a day of determined practice, they finally nailed it. Their trainers had taught them a method to stay calm even in the moments their adrenaline pumped the highest and they were quick to master the techniques.

After practising their skills with the handguns, they were taught to use two handguns, a skill they had not yet become familiar with. Although they were able to use two handguns, they both relied on the hand they were most comfortable with and the other hand became a sub-weapon. The trainers, however, emphasised that it was important and helpful to use both hands equally. This took a little longer for the two to master but after a day in an assault course that the trainers designed themselves, they were confident in using both weapons sufficiently.

Mir, of course, being the designated sniper was assigned a trained marksman that put him through gruelling assault courses to further enhance his accuracy. The trainer was surprised by his skills, acknowledging the natural talent in him that allowed him to shoot with extreme precision but did not show it, causing Mir to become determined in proving that he was chosen to be a sniper for a reason. The week allowed the trainer to teach him how to create a mindset where nothing could be a distraction, a technique useful when in a make-or-break situation that could potentially make him miss his target.

Thunder and Eunjung didn't train physically, but instead were trained mentally. Their trainers gave them countless databases and softwares, some 'borrowed' from the government and the others developed by themselves to train on. Thunder and Eunjung were taught techniques on hacking and controlling softwares. Having heard about the time their connections were hacked, the trainers also taught them how to protect their softwares. Emphasising the fact that the team heavily relied on their technological skills and that the lives of their fellow members could potentially depend on them, Eunjung and Thunder had a heavy burden as they worked hard to master the skills their trainers were throwing at them.

By the end of the week, after sleepness nights spent on training, the team was even more elite than they began with. The trainers were satisfied and handed their corresponding trainees the logs they had been keeping on them.

"Read through these and focus on the flaws we have each pinpointed," one of the trainers said. "Don't forget the techniques you've learnt this week. You've already shown us the determination within each and every one of you. You definitely have the mindset and the skills, we all believe that you can only go up from here. Don't disappoint us."

Hearing these words, the members thanked their trainers gratefully. It was true, they had progressed incredibly quickly in the past week, at a rate even they themselves couldn't believe would be possible. For once, they felt like they were on top of the world. Granted, they hadn't come against everything in the world, but it felt like they could take anything on.

The question was... could they?