'What do you want to talk about?' Mina inquired as she and Jihyo walked up the stairs and towards the garden. 

 

'Is there something I should know?' Jihyo asked.

 

'Oh. Uhm.' Mina looked around and at the dark sky, anywhere but to make eye contact with Jihyo. 

 

'Come on. Why are you so shy about it?' Jihyo laughed as she sat down on the bench. 

 

'Fine. I confessed to Sana and well..' 

 

'Are you dating now? Is she your girlfriend?' Jihyo asked, leaning forward with wide eyes as she rubbed her hand with a grin on her face. 

 

'Not really.' Mina rubbed the back of her neck.

 

'Ey.. So what happened?'

 

'I made a deal with her.'

 

'Go on.'

 

'If the world doesn’t end and we all survived, I would officially ask to be my girlfriend.'

 

'She agreed?'

 

'Yep.'

 

'You’re such a charmer.' Jihyo laughed and shoved Mina's shoulder. The laughter died down after a while and they sat in silence, basking in each other's company.

 

'So you finally realized it?' Jihyo turned to face Mina who was looking up at the sky. 

 

'Yeah. My predecessor enlightened me. Wait, you sound like you knew it all along.' Mina raised an eyebrow. 

 

'I did. It was quite obvious if you were to ask me. I'm pretty sure I heard the others betting on when you and Sana would end up together. Even Tzuyu placed a bet.'

 

'What? Was it really that blatant?' Mina rubbed her temples. How embarrassing it was for everyone to see right through her.

 

'Well, I would say through observing it is. No one actually thought anything would happen between you two. In fact they were actually more suspicious of Tzuyu and Sana since they were always working together before you came but apparently Tzuyu insisted she didn't like Sana that way so..' Jihyo trailed off.

 

'You read my feelings from the start?' 

 

'Yea. It was really a magical thing to watch. How it slowly grew over time and all. But you didn't want to jeopardize your job and pushed those feelings away. I could see how it was eating away at your insides but I'm glad you managed to get past that.' 

 

'I'm glad I managed to too. Thank you.'

 

'Me? Shouldn't you thank your predecessor instead?' Jihyo pointed at herself in surprise.

 

'I think you deserve some acknowledgement as well. For always looking out for me. For us. You've been a great leader to all of us and I want you to know that.' Mina smiled. 

 

'I can see why Sana likes you. You always know what to say at the right time.' Jihyo's eyes gleamed and she opened her arms, wrapping Mina in a hug which the girl returned. 

 

'I'm glad I met all of you.' Mina mumbled into Jihyo's shoulder. 

 

'I'm glad you did too.' Jihyo patted Mina's back. 

 

 

D-2

 

'Two days. Man, this feels surreal.' Tzuyu heard Chaeyoung talking to Momo in the hallway. Indeed, it didn't feel real. Then again, couldn't they do a stealth operation to assassinate Zafir? On second thought maybe they couldn't because his hideout must have been heavily guarded. 

 

'Hey Tzuyu.' Sana said and snapped the girl out of her daze.

 

'Unnie.' Tzuyu smiled. 

 

'What were you thinking about? You looked really stressed.' Sana handed the youngest a bottle of water.

 

'Oh it's nothing really.' Tzuyu shook her head and took the bottle of water. She sat down opposite of Sana and took a sip from the bottle. 

 

'Not with Mina unnie?'

 

'She's outside playing basketball with Jeongyeon and Jihyo. Its quiet amusing how they're still playing when an apocalypse is happening in two days.' Sana shook her head in an amused manner. 

 

'They're probably just going to play while they can. It's their way of relieving stress.' Tzuyu shrugged. 'So you and Mina unnie are a thing now?'

 

'Not really. We just made a deal that if we all survive and the world doesn't end she would officially ask me out.' Sana leaned back in her chair and looked out of the kitchen window at the trio which were fighting for the ball. 

 

'I see. Congrats unnie, I'm happy for you. You two are cute together.' Tzuyu smiled.

 

'Thanks. Want to watch them?' 

 

'Sure.' 

 

The two stood up and walked outside. 

 

'Why are you so good at this?' Jeongyeon shouted as she tried to slap the ball out of Mina's hand. The girl took a step back and bounced the ball before jumping up and making a shot. All eyes were on the ball as they watched it make a perfect arc in the air and landed in the hoop. 

 

'Woohoo! Three pointer!' Mina whooped and jumped around.

 

'Nice one!' Sana beamed at her girlfriend-to-be. 

 

'The fourth consecutive shot from her.' Jihyo sighed. 

 

'Come on you two, you can play better than this.' Mina tossed the ball to Jeongyeon who caught it swiftly.

 

'I think I need some motivation.' Jeongyeon dribbled the ball. 

 

'Loser has to do the dishes after lunch.' Tzuyu suggested. 

 

'Call!' The three shouted, eliciting huge laughter from Sana and Tzuyu. 

 

The game started again and this time Jeongyeon was not going easy. She easily blocked Mina's shot which smacked the ball straight into Jihyo's hands. The girl had tried to do a layup but the ball rolled around the rim and bounced off. 

 

'Are you kidding me?' Jihyo shouted and everyone laughed. 

 

Jeongyeon got the ball this time and determination burned in her eyes. She spun around Mina and sidestepped Jihyo before tossing the ball into the hoop. 

 

'Jeongyeon oppa~ Our next NBA player?' Tzuyu teased. 

 

'You wish, yoda.'

 

'Rock paper scissors?' Jihyo asked and Mina shrugged. 

 

'Rock paper scissors!' They revealed their hands and Mina lost to Jihyo's rock. 

 

'The dishes it is.' Mina laughed as they walked back in to freshen up. 

 

Lunch was a simple meal; kimchi fried rice with a sunny side up on top. They talked over lunch and discussed about the city. The evacuation process was almost complete. The remaining few households should be relocated by tomorrow. Mina was loading the dishes into the dishwasher with Chaeyoung's help. 

 

'You finally got a girlfriend?' Chaeyoung asked with her signature cheeky grin. 

 

'Not officially. Dahyun is really rubbing off you eh? You're becoming as cheeky as her.' Mina laughed as she closed the dishwasher and started it up. 

 

'It happens unnie. When you're in love, you would somehow unknowingly start to act like your partner in some way.' Chaeyoung crossed her arms and leaned on the counter. 

 

'Yeah. Strange isn't it?'

 

'The magic of love.' 

 

'You and your romantic stuff.' Mina scoffed. 

 

'Oh come on, are you really going to deny that you're a closet romantic?' 

 

'What's there to deny if I'm not one?'

 

'Tsh unnie, you're no fun.' Chaeyoung scoffed and blew a raspberry before running off, cackle echoing down the halls. Mina rolled her eyes but her lips curled into a gentle smile. 

 

The pyrokinetic wiped the tables down before rinsing the cloth and returning to her room. She grabbed her phone from the nightstand and dialled a number. 

 

'Hello?'

 

'Mama~' Mina smiled when she heard her mother's voice. 

 

'Oh Mina! We were worried about you. We heard the broadcast a few days ago. Are you okay?' 

 

'Yes I'm okay but we will be helping to fight off that crazy guy.'

 

'Please be careful Minari.' Her mother said. The girl could hear the worry laced in her mother’s voice.

 

'I will, don't worry. Sorry for not calling earlier.' 

 

'It's okay, you must have been busy preparing. Before you ask, we're all well. Your papa and o-nii wishes well for you and your friends too.'

 

'We will do our best. Please take care okay? Make sure you're in a safe place.' Mina replied. 

 

'We will.' 

 

'Is it chaotic there?' Mina asked.

 

'Not really. Everyone seems calm but there is an unspoken tension in the air. We will probably treat it like any other natural disaster and evacuate accordingly.' 

 

The door opened and Sana peeped in. 

 

'Can I come in?' Sana mouthed and Mina nodded, patting the space on her bed. 

 

'Alright. Mama, Sana is here.' Mina said as Sana sat down on the bed. 

 

'Hello Sana-chan.' Mina's mother said with a endearing tone. 

 

'Hello oba-san. Are you well?' Sana greeted.

 

'Yes I am, thank you for asking.' 

 

'Mama, we have some news to tell you.' Mina said and Sana's eyes widened in surprise.

 

'What is it?'

 

'Sana will be my girlfriend if the world doesn't end.' 

 

'Oh that's great news! Take her back for dinner someday okay? I have a lot of stories to share with her.' Mina's mother teased and Sana let out a giggle. 

 

'Mama..' Mina face palmed. 

 

'Alright alright, you two should probably go and continue preparing. We will talk soon okay?' 

 

'Okay, see you soon.' 

 

'See you.' 

 

Mina hung up the phone and Sana laughed. 

 

'What?'

 

'I can’t wait to hear your stories.' 

 

'Oh yeah? I can't wait to hear yours when your parents find out.' Mina stuck out her tongue but quickly regretted what she said. Maybe Sana's parents might not approve of their relationship since they had a high profile image. 

 

'What's wrong?' Sana asked when she noticed Mina's smile fade slightly. 

 

'Nothing. Want to nap with me?' 

 

'You don't even need to ask.' Sana slipped her legs under the blanket and cuddled up with Mina. 

 

 

Jihyo and Nayeon were relaxing in the office. 

 

'I strongly believe that this is the right way to handle things.' Jihyo suddenly said as she tossed a paper plane into the air and made it glide around the room. 

 

'What's the right way?' Nayeon asked, swaying around in the swivel chair as she played a game on her phone. 

 

'Relaxing. It's just like the cows that are raised for beef in Japan isn't it? They get massaged, listen to classical music, completely relaxed and then they give marvellous outcomes. Maybe we're like this too. If we relax we would perform netter rather than if we stress ourselves now and go into battle with a unhealthy mental state.' Jihyo explained, crashing the plane into Nayeon's head and the girl frowned. 

 

'You have some weird ideas sometimes Park Jihyo.' Nayeon mumbled as she rubbed the spot where the plane had hit her. 

 

'I try.' Jihyo grinned. 

 

'Are we going to just sit around here like this for the rest of the day and tomorrow?' Nayeon asked as she spun around. 

 

'If it's therapeutic I don’t see why not.'

 

'But it's boring.' 

 

'Want to play a board game then?'

 

'You'll always end up winning me with yours smarty brain.' Nayeon sulked. 

 

'Well.. Computer games?'

 

'How about we watch some dramas? I just started on Goblin these days.' Nayeon grinned and typed in the search bar on Jihyo's laptop.

 

'Use the projector. I'll go get some popcorn. We'll binge on dramas today.' Jihyo grinned and pointed at the projector.

 

'Wait how do I do that?' Nayeon asked.

 

'Never mind. You go get the popcorn, I'll set things up.' Jihyo laughed and walked back. 

 

When Nayeon returned, the couch had been pulled out and the drama was paused on a screen that hung above the fireplace. 

 

'Your office sure is convenient.' Nayeon placed the bowl down and settled into the reclined couch. 

 

'Of course, all the previous leaders spent most of their time here so they made it as comfortable and accessible as they could.' Jihyo took the bowl and popped one into .

 

'Man, this is great.' Nayeon relaxed and hugged a pillow as the drama began to play. 

 

 

'Does this feel good?' Momo asked as she rubbed Jeongyeon's shoulders.

 

'Oh yes. My lower back needs some work too.' The girl said as she closed her eyes and relaxed. Momo slowly worked her way down, rubbing Jeongyeon's back in a circular motion till she reached the lower back. She created a few tiny twisters and set them free on the girl's back.

 

'Ugh this feels heavenly. How are you doing that? Your fingers must be really strong.'

 

'Don't freak out but there are a few tiny twisters on your back doing the work.'

 

'What?!' Jeongyeon exclaimed and Momo held her down. 

 

'I just said don't freak out!' Momo slapped the back of Jeongyeon's head. 'It's not like I placed snails or anything. You said it feels good so stop complaining.' 

 

The geokinetic let out a huff but relaxed as the twisters did their job. Momo smiled as the girl fell asleep and reached out to her pearl platinum hair. She was happy that Jeongyeon was able to relax and not overwork herself during times like this. 

 

The girl woke when Momo removed the twisters.

 

'Oh I fell asleep.' Jeongyeon rubbed her eyes and sat up. 

 

'You can continue to sleep if you want.' Momo patted the pillow. 

 

'I still owe you a massage. Lie down.' Jeongyeon ordered and Momo complied. 

 

'OW! Be gentle!' Momo yelped the moment Jeongyeon's elbow pressed down onto her back.

 

'I'm sorry I can't control my strength.' Jeongyeon grumbled but she tried to be gentle and rubbed Momo's back the way the girl did earlier. She must have been doing a good job because the girl wasn't complaining anymore. She went on to rub the girl's arms and massaged her hands as well, admiring how slender Momo's fingers were. Their hands contrasted each other since Jeongyeon had slightly thicker fingers and a broader palm but somehow their hands would always fit. Perhaps opposites really do attract no matter what was the case.

 

'You're learning well.' Momo commented as Jeongyeon rubbed her thenar. 

 

'The expert taught me well.' 

 

'The expert learnt from a master.' Momo replied. 

 

'Sana?' Jeongyeon asked and Momo hummed. 

 

'She's real good.' 

 

'I bet she'll give Mina a massage too.' Jeongyeon sniggered. 

 

'Can you not?'

 

'What? I only said a massage! What are you thinking?' Jeongyeon laughed and Momo buried her face into the pillow. 

 

Curse you Yoo Jeongyeon, Momo thought to herself. 

 

 

Tzuyu, Chaeyoung and Dahyun were in the game room trying to pass time. 

 

'I feel like I'm forgetting something but then again I am not.' Dahyun pressed a button and Halo 3 began to load. 

 

'Training? Practice fights?' Tzuyu asked. 

 

'Yeah that. I feel like we should be doing that but then we're here relaxing.' Dahyun sunk into the beanbag. 

 

'Relax. Jihyo said we needed to relax and not stress ourselves so that we can be refreshed and ready to give our all when D-Day comes.' Chaeyoung twisted her controller around. 

 

'I guess.' Dahyun shrugged and began to pick a map.

 

'If it makes you feel better, we'll be fighting each other in here.' Chaeyoung sniggered and Dahyun let out a deep sigh. 

 

'Close enough.' Tzuyu laughed as she changed the game settings.

 

‘First to 10?’

 

‘Sure.’

 

The game started and they began hunting for each other. 

 

'Don't look at my screen.' Dahyun said as she hopped into the Ghost. 

 

'We're sharing the same screen.' Tzuyu rolled her eyes. 

 

'Where are you?' Chaeyoung asked as she maneuverer around in her Ghost.

 

'Somewhere far away from you.' Tzuyu sniggered. 

 

'How savage of you.' Dahyun said as she drove around. 

 

Just then, Tzuyu caught sight of Chaeyoung's Ghost and shot at it, blowing it up instantly. 

 

'What!' Chaeyoung exclaimed as she threw her hands in the air. 

 

'I guess you found me.' Tzuyu laughed as she went after Dahyun.

 

'Wait wait wait no! You can't!' Dahyun yelled as she tried to get away but ended up driving straight into a corner. Tzuyu lobbed a grenade which exploded but Dahyun got out. The younger girl opened fire but pressed the wrong button and ended up throwing a bubble shield at her and Dahyun killed Tzuyu instead. 

 

'Aha!' 'What! Damn it!' 

 

While they were chasing each other, Chaeyoung had silently made her way towards them and killed Dahyun with a headshot.

'Aha!' Chaeyoung repeated after Dahyun and the girl scowled. 

 

'Tzuyu 2, unnies 1.' The girl giggled as her character respawned.

 

'We should be glad Mina unnie isn't here. She'd probably be on a killing spree now.' Chaeyoung said. 

 

'Lucky us but poor us because we have someone called Tzuyu here that is totally going to kick our without any mercy.' Dahyun narrowed her eyes at the screen as she guided her character around.

 

'I'm sorry I’m so good at this!' The girl laughed as she shot Chaeyoung who was running towards her with her shotgun. 

 

'How? I was firing at you!' Chaeyoung smacked the controller.

 

'Don't run towards someone with a shotgun!' The Chinese girl exploded in laughter.

 

Their game finished with Tzuyu in first place, Dahyun in second place and Chaeyoung in third place. 

 

'Man.' Chaeyoung dropped her controlled onto her lap and sunk into her seat.

 

'You tried.' Tzuyu gave the girl a lop sided grin. 

 

'Let's go again?' Dahyun suggested. 

 

'I'll beat all of you this time.' Chaeyoung said as she picked her controller up again.