He paced around the small confine of his office. The one place he most desired almost 10 years back has now become the place he loathe the most just because of a single mishap.

 

A mishap that can ruin his life. Or, even worse, end his life.

 

He slammed his fist on the table, his breathing becoming labor by the second as anxiety start kicking in. Flashes of red and white began appearing before his eyes. Sensing what about to happen, he quickly rummages through the messy desk of papers and folders for that one orange bottle of tranquilizer. Popping two pills at a time, he swallowed them plainly. He took a few deep breaths before his eyes fell on his reflection on the window glass.

 

A ghost.

 

His ghost.

 

He almost didn’t recognize the person before him. The prim and proper, almost admired by everyone with his charming looks 10 years ago was replaced with a haggard and distraught looking man with thin stubbles and disheveled long white hair. His favourite white coat now exchanged with a white shirt under a grey suit.

 

He resented the look he received from his own reflection, as if it was mocking him for becoming the person he is.

 

For becoming the failure of his own sins.

 

 

KNOCK KNOCK

 

 

The door opened. He didn’t paid attention to the person entering his office; he merely scoffed.

 

“Did you find it?”

 

The person crouched on one knee while pulling down the mask adorning her face, a forced habit automatically taking over her body, albeit reluctantly. Out of fear of her benefactor with whatever news she brings. She gave a small shake of her head.

 

“What have you been doing?”

 

Her fist on the floor had turned white, deciding whether to keep silent or answer his question. Silence, she chose.

 

“Useless.” He muttered.

 

The girl was glad she pulled down the mask; she feels suffocated, even more when she had to meet him in this room of silent torture.

 

“Find it,” She glanced up for a second, “or you know what will happen.”

 

With a nod, the girl quickly disappeared behind the door.

 

He sighed deeply, rubbing his hand across his face tiredly. Just when he thought he could trust her on this mission, it turned the other way. It can’t be help, he thought.

 

He reached for his phone, sending a short message. A few seconds later, his phone vibrated. The reply was not what he had expected but it is far out of his concern at the moment.

 

He knows he can depend on this person.

 

He took a sit on his leather chair, leaning his head back as he thought back of what had happened a few days back.

 

He really needs it.

 

Time is almost running out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was supposed to be easy.

 

But not as easy as trying to stay awake when you’re in a school where classes start as early as the sun about to peek out of the horizon while having to endure a growling stomach because you ended up being late when Nayeon decided to cook her breakfast. She unnecessarily almost burned down their safe house's kitchen and toasting all of their food supply for the month.

 

“I’m hungry…” Momo grumbled, more like whining with her head down on the table.

 

“This was your fault.” She heard Jeongyeon accused who she thought was the eldest of them all.

 

“Yah! What did I do?”

 

“You’re going to be the cause for Moguri’s death.”

 

“What? Please, she won’t die just because she skipped breakfast.”

 

“But she’s weak because she skipped her breakfast and now her concentration is running low and I can already see her battery blinking red so if she’s under attack and can’t defend herself, guess whose fault is that?”

 

“Uh, me?”

 

“Oh, wow. You are actually smart, Nabongs.”

 

Momo was about to yank off the earpiece from Nayeon’s shrilling scream when a tap on her table got her attention.

 

“Care to indulge me what is it you are doing that is more interesting than my lecture?”

 

The teacher raised a brow, a frown appearing on Momo’s face. It was only the second day of her enrollment here and she’s already going up the rank in the list of troublemakers in the class.

 

“What is this?” She pointed to the earbud on Momo’s left ear, “You have the decency to listen to music in my class?”

 

Momo cursed mentally, making a reminder to tell Jihyo to communicate through messages and phone calls when she’s at school. She was about to create a lame excuse when another voice beat her to it.

 

“Umm, excuse me, Miss Song?”

 

“Yes, Dahyun?”

 

“She’s new here.”

 

“And?”

 

“Well, she might not know about the rules in this school.”

 

The teacher huffed with rolled eyes, ignoring the girl who tried to stand up for Momo as she turned her attention back to the frowning girl.

 

“I don’t care what you are or what you’re doing but I don’t like seeing this kind of behaviour when I’m teaching.” She raised her hand towards the door, “Out.”

 

Everyone gasped but Momo was gladly screeching the chair off the floor, the teacher’s cringing face caused a smirk to appear on her face as she skips towards the door. The girl who defended her was trying to come up with more excuses but just with a wink from Momo, she kept mum.

 

Like on autopilot, her feet brought her to the nearest vending machine for her snack/breakfast to fill her empty stomach. Momo casually pulled out her earpiece, texting Jihyo her intention earlier to avoid anymore “misconduct” in school. Just as she was about to unwrap the chocolate bar, she saw a familiar streak of red hair passing through the end of the hallway. With an excited grin, she followed the person with light jog.

 

“Hi.”

 

Mina grunted when she saw the person with her wide smile from the corner of her eyes.

 

“Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”

 

Momo shrugged while munching her chocolate, “Aren’t you?”

 

“I’m an exception.”

 

“Why is that so?”

 

“None of your business.”

 

She missed a beat in replying; there was a flicker of emotions running through Mina’s eyes and Momo caught it. They walk side by side in silence, sometimes Momo’s loud chewing sound fill the empty hallway.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Hmm?” Momo waved the chocolate, “Eating.”

 

Mina sighed audibly before stopping on her tracks, “Are you following me?”

 

“Am not.”

 

“You are.” Mina crossed her arms and Momo decided to tease the girl by mirroring her actions.

 

“No, I’m not.”

 

“Yes, you are!”

 

Momo shrugged when Mina’s volume raised an octave. “I guess I am.”

 

“Why are you doing this?” She huffed, but her breath hitched when Momo’s face appeared just a few inches apart from her.

 

“Because someone once told me to follow my dreams.” Mina gasped when Momo gave her a wink, “I think I’ve found mine.”

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

The girl had been silently following her since she arrived at school. She was trying to be quiet, but it was obvious she hasn’t been trained for that in class yet. Mina refrained herself from laughing and played along.

 

Two can play the game, she thought.

 

She acted like usual, greeting every person she met, stopping to chitchat with a few of her classmates and a short visit to the principal’s office to give her report.

 

“Someone decided to be a stalker, it seems.”

 

Mina giggled; the Principal obviously can see the brown head poking out behind the wall she’s hiding.

 

“I think she was trying to apologize for yesterday.”

 

She raised a brow, not understanding what the Principal is implying. The corner of his lips rose slightly in amusement.

 

“She punched Seungri.”

 

Mina’s mouth formed an o as the incident yesterday replayed in the back of her mind. She has been acting weird since the day they found out Seungri was the one who had been leaving notes in her shoe locker. Mina didn’t know why her friend punched the poor boy.

 

After excusing herself from the Principal’s office, she made her way to their favourite bench situated outside on top of the garden hill. She knows her friend is still following her so she tapped the empty space beside her.

 

Rustling sound could be heard, followed by a deep sigh. She took out a bag of gummy worms, offering it to her friend still standing by the bench. She was surprised when the latter did the same.

 

“What is that?”

 

Her friend rubbed her nape, her eyes falling everywhere but Mina’s. “Um… peace offering?”

 

She finally let out the laugh she’s been holding, hunching forward from the adorableness of her friend’s behaviour.

 

“Yah, why are you laughing?”

 

Mina shook her head, letting out the remaining giggles still left as she pulled the frowning girl to sit beside her.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

She voiced out after Mina calmed down. The latter intertwine their hands together, squeezing her friend’s warm hand to encourage her to speak out her mind. Mina hummed, urging her to continue.

 

“Are you mad?”

 

“Depends on the reason why you did that to him.”

 

She sighed, scratching her head for the answer. “Honestly, I’m not even sure myself.”

 

Mina nudged her side, prompting her friend to look at her. They were filled with guilt, but most of all, fear of something that even Mina’s not really sure what it held.

 

“Well, thank you.”

 

Her wide eyes made Mina chuckled. Her friend is so honest; she can read her just by looking at her face. She is a walking emoji of a real living person and Mina really adored her for that.

 

“For?”

 

“For doing what I’ve been wanting to do since I got those letters.” Mina scrunched her nose, “Not that I’d ever date him.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“I come to this academy for my main purpose, which doesn’t include dating the boys here.”

 

“Ouch.. I can see lines of guys in our academy breaking their hearts already.”

 

Mina punched her friend lightly, finally earning the laugh that had been missing since yesterday’s event.

 

“Mama always said to me to follow my heart no matter where I go.” Mina’s smile faltered, “I don’t think I really understand what she meant by that, but I’m gonna try my best in this academy and make my parents proud.”

 

“That’s very admirable.”

 

It was a small, innocent praise, but it made Mina’s heart soar high with flutters. She got up from the bench to hide her heating face, taking a few steps ahead.

 

“You should follow your dreams when you’ve found one, too.”

 

A hand reached Mina’s, her friend already catching up to her side. Her face turned into a wide grin with red hue on both cheeks while swinging their hands together.

 

“I already am.”

 

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

Mina blinked a few times, trying to adjust her eyes from the lights glaring down on her. She looked left and right, seeing the familiar white walls and cupboard of the infirmary room.

 

“You’re finally awake.”

 

She rubbed her forehead, squinting her eyes to make out the figure sitting on the chair beside her.

 

Oh.

 

Her.

 

“W-Why… What did you do to me?”

 

She waved her hands frantically at the accusing look Mina gave her. “I didn’t do anything! You passed out on me..”

 

“I… did?”

 

“Yeah. You looked so pale so we decided to bring you here.”

 

Mina nodded her head, when the word finally registered into her brain. “Wait, we?”

 

Just as in cue, the door of the infirmary room slammed open with a bouncing Sana carrying plastic bag on both hands.

 

“I BROUGHT FOOD!”

 

Both of them winced from the outburst.

 

“Your friend sure is loud.” Momo gave her an amused smile as she waved at the girls by the door.

 

“Oh! Chewy and Dubu decided to come too. The more the merrier, right?”

 

“More like she dragged us here unwillingly.” The tall girl murmured but the other motioned for her to keep silent before a wide grin appeared on her face.

 

“Ah! I know you!” Momo exclaimed as soon as her eyes fell on the slightly pale girl resembling a tofu.

 

“Hello, I’m Dahyun.” She slightly bowed before gesturing to her friend, “And this is Tzuyu.”

 

Momo bowed back to both of them but the glaring eyes of the girl named Tzuyu made her slightly shivered. She nodded to Dayhun, the latter turned to Mina.

 

“Are you okay, Mina-unnie?”

 

Mina gave a grateful smile to Dahyun, “I’m fine. It was nothing, really.”

 

“Nothing?” All eyes turned to the fuming Sana, “You called passing out in the middle of the hallway, NOTHING?”

 

The red head cowered into the thin blanket, hoping it will provide her some sort of safety from Sana’s scolding.

 

“Yah! Thank goodness Moguri was there when I found you. Don’t you know how worried I was when you didn’t show up at class this morning?”

 

Dahyun rubbed Sana’s arm to calm her down as the girl in question was ducking her head low, avoiding everyone’s suffocating stare on her. She was about to retort back when a loud growling sound filled the room.

 

Momo let out an airy laugh while rubbing her stomach, “Umm, that was my stomach saying hi?”

 

Dahyun was the first to laugh which infected the glaring Sana and soon the whole room was laughing. Sana passed around the lunchboxes she brought and Momo happily took it, scarfing down the free lunch to her heart’s content. She can feel eyes on her as she innocently shrugged.

 

“I skipped breakfast.”

 

Just then she remembered about her team which had gone silent when she turned off the communicator earlier. She was about to check her phone when Tzuyu, who was texting someone, got up.

 

“Sorry, nature’s call.”

 

Momo’s eyes followed the girl warily, before a hand on her lap brought her attention back the group of girls in front of her.

 

“She didn’t hold anything against you, don’t worry.” Sana reassured her, “Tzuyu is always like that around people. She might act like a cold but she’s actually a shy little bundle of joy once you get to know her.”

 

“She’s actually from Taiwan, hence the language barrier with everyone.” Dahyun added.

 

“Oh, really?” Momo asked in surprise, “What is she doing here?”

 

“Not sure.” Dahyun shrugged, “She said something about finding a long lost relative.”

 

Momo nodded, slowly munching her food when she caught the red head barely touching her food from the corner of her eyes.

 

“Are you eating that?”

 

“What?” Mina gave her a weird look.

 

“I asked, are you eating that?”

 

Momo pointed to the untouched lunch box. Mina shook her head no, pushing it towards Momo, “You want it?”

 

“Gladly!” She chirped, already reaching out for the food.

 

Mina watched in awe, she should be disgusted with the way she’s gobbling everything down while talking to the girls with full but instead, she found it adorable and cute.

 

Eh? Wait, what?

 

She shook her head from the thoughts when the bell rang.

 

 

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

Nayeon was bobbing her head clad with huge headphones, miming to a bop song of the year while doing gestures like a wild, crazy woman as she monitors the huge screen with multiple frames of surveillances from the CCTV surrounding the school. Trying to catch her breath after the first song of her playlist ended, Nayeon slumped against her chair and twirls on spot, the loud squeaking sound causing the other occupant to grumble loudly.

 

“I swear, Nayeon. Stop being a major distraction for me all day!”

 

The bobbed-hair girl glared, an apron adorning her front while she slammed the mop she was holding, another hand on her waist. Nayeon shrugged her eyebrows suggestively.

 

“Why? Cause I’m that hot for you, huh?”

 

Jeongyeon gagged dramatically, almost throwing the poor mop to the oldest direction if not for their leader’s sudden appearance into the room.

 

“Because you’re always acting like a grandma, that’s why.” Jihyo nonchalantly interrupt, causing Nayeon to scoff and Jeongyeon to clap her hands gleefully.

 

“Heard anything from Momo yet?” Jihyo glanced at the duo bickering silently beside her as she sat on a chair designated for her on the huge table. She looked at her watch; the classes should have ended by now.

 

“Nothing.” Nayeon glared at the snickering tall girl who managed to avoid her slap, “I think she’s on detention.”

 

“All because of you.” Jeongyeon mouthed, before running away from the attacks of slaps she’s about to get from the fuming technical analyst.

 

Jihyo shook her head from the two’s antiques, before her eyes caught the blinking red moving away from the school.

 

“At least she managed to put a tracker on our target.” The leader announced, turning her head to the bunny teeth girl.

 

“Nayeon?”

 

The oldest is already furiously typing on the keyboard, her eyes not even blinking once when a grin showing her cute teeth appeared on her face as she pressed the ENTER button loudly.

 

“Aaand we’re clear!”

 

The monitor blinked rapidly in succession, the previous frames were replaced with footages of streets and alleys of the block where Mina is walking. The leader nodded gratefully to Nayeon, a smug smile on the latter’s face.

 

“I still can’t believe there is actually one thing you’re great at, Nayeonnie.”

 

The smug quickly turned into a frown as she whipped her head to the approaching Jeongyeon who had already changed her housekeeping attire to a combat one. She was about to retort back but the sight of the tall girl in her suit had always rendered her speechless.

 

She gulped, quickly averting her eyes back to the monitor.

 

Jeongyeon felt weird when she got no comeback from the smart- with a loud and annoying mouth. She raised a brow but shrugged it away.

 

“I’ve already contacted HQ to run a background scan of our Blackie and the Chil-Hyun Research Group. They sent us this.”

 

A picture of a neat looking man in grey suit with long messy white hair appeared along with old pictures of a photo group and building of the research place.

 

“The Chil Hyun Research Group, or CHRG for short, was founded in 1985 of scientists aimed to improve the lives of human and increase the maximum potential of living humans towards betterment of future and healthy living.”

 

“What a load of BS.” Jeongyeon scoffed.

 

Jihyo ignored her and continue her briefing, “Jeong's right, though. There are actually lawsuits filed against them involving violations of human rights and accidents of human experiments which costs lot of lives but due to the complaints coming from commoners and families of the victims, the legal disputes were dismissed.”

 

"Is that even possible?"

 

"Well, there are other "backroom deals" involved considering the big companies involved." Jihyo quoted the word with her fingers.

 

“Such as bribing?” Nayeon asked.

 

The leader shrugged, “They do have one of the big three of the pharmaceutical companies acting as the shareholder.”

 

“Why does this turn out to be something bigger than just the hunt for a lip balm?”

 

Jihyo shrugged, “These are just some facts we need to know about the people we’re facing. Unless we focus on our main mission, it is not our obligation to dirty our hands by prying deeper into this mess.”

 

Jeongyeon nodded, before nudging her chin to the screen. “Who’s that guy?”

 

“Dr. Kim Hee Chul, one of the shareholders and the current owner of Chil Hyun Research Group.” Jihyo heaved a deep sigh, “Apparently, he’s related to our Red here.”

 

“Is he the dad or something?”

 

“More like adopted father, it seems.” Jihyo clicked on the picture, another tab popped up showing his basic information.

 

The tall girl whistled, “He’s still young! I seriously thought he was the same age as Nabongs based on that picture.”

 

“Yah! What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“What about Blackie?” Jeongyeon ignored the pouting girl, pulling out her tongue at the latter when Jihyo’s not watching.

 

“We only got blurry shots of her from the surveillance and Momo’s description is not helping much on that.”

 

Nayeon puffed her cheeks before letting out blows of air loudly, “Guess we’re doing it the old way, then.”

 

The leader closed the tab with a push of a button before facing the two, “Now that we have some background information of our target, I suppose it will be easier for us to retrieve the data and hopefully, save our Moguri from boring herself to death in that elite school.”

 

“Speaking of Moguri,” Nayeon frowned, “Where the heck is she?”

 

Just as mentioned, suddenly crackles sounded from the speaker’s intercom.

 

“Guys, miss me?”

 

“Moguri!” Jihyo spoke into the microphone, “What’s going on? Where are you?”

 

“Not much- UGH!”

 

The sound of something being slammed resonated through the speaker, causing both Nayeon and Jihyo to wince.

 

“That doesn’t sound good.”

 

Another blue dot appeared, blinking exactly beside the red one. Nayeon turned to the tall girl who had already disappeared out of the door, followed by the sound of a roaring engine of her bike. The leader nodded at Nayeon, prompting her to access other surveillance camera available on that area.

 

“What’s the situation, Moguri?”

 

“Good news; Blackie's here." A grunt came from their agent, "Bad news; so is Mina.”