"Ah, my cupids look so cute~" the boss squealed, squirming about in her seat.

In front of her stood the eight girls, dressed in matching white shirts and skirts and holding, or fiddling rather, with their respective bows and arrows.

"What do you think, Archer?" she said, turning towards Archer who was standing to her left, "Aren't they just cute?"

Archer simply looked ahead, not bothering to answer her. She smiled and shook her head.

"You should really learn to appreciate things more, Archer. Your name suits them too. So for this mission you can be in charge of them," she said, snapping her fingers.

"We'll be heading out into the real world after weeks of being imprisoned here..." Mimi said gloomily, "And we look like this."

"Well, after wearing nothing but loose shirts and sweatpants ever since we got here, this is a nice change, I guess," Arin said, shrugging sheepishly.

"I think we all look nice," Hyojung said brightly, twirling around.

"You're always happy about everything," Binnie commented.

"Yes," YooA smiled, "Mimi should learn from you."

"I don't want to be so happy about things that aren't worth being happy about," Mimi grumbled.

"Focus, ladies. This is your first mission so make sure you do well," the boss reminded them.

"Well, just what is our mission?" Binnie challenged.

"Listen closely because I won't repeat myself," she said, turning strict.

The girls leaned in closer, straining their ears. The silence pressed against their ears and their hearts felt like they were about to burst in their chests.

"There's an underground club called Cupid's Cloud," she started.

"That doesn't sound like a club to me," Seunghee mumbled.

"In this club, people come out feeling happy but their memories from inside the club are all fuzzy. You can blame it on the alcohol but according to our research, that's not the case."

"They sell drugs?" Mimi asked, shrugging.

"Perhaps they do. That's what you need to find out. It took us a lot of negotiating and sweet talking to get you guys in. You'll be there as the mascots. Work there for as long as you need to but I personally wouldn't recommend that. People's habits tend to rub off on each other if you stick too close."

There was another beat of silence.

"It's a pretty easy mission though."

"It's dangerous in my eyes," Archer said, finally speaking up.

The eight girls looked up at him and he squinted and looked down at them.

"Isn't the youngest one still underage?" he asked, nodding towards Arin.

"What are you trying to protect, Archer?" the boss laughed. "Are you trying to preserve her innocence? You should know by now," she said, her voice growing darker, "Innocence doesn't last. Especially not here."

Archer resumed his silence once more while the girls shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another. Arin fidgeted nervously.

"Archer will drop you off and pick you up. Don't be concerned with the time. Archer is the only thing you need to keep track of. Once you see him, leave that place. Understood?"

They all nodded stiffly.

"Good. Now get to work."

The club was a culture shock for them, especially from their previous isolation. The lights flashed brightly in different colors. The air was heavily with scented with different odors such as perfume and smoke. The people pressed up against each other and moved around wildly, their sweaty bodies unavoidable. Arin scrunched up her nose as she got a whiff of some guys smelly armpits while Seunghee gripped her hand tightly, pulling her forward. They made their way to the furthest corner of the club where there was a door which led into a room with a comfy long seat attached to the three walls. There was a man with hair slightly covering his eyes lounging in the middle of the seat. He brushed the hair away from his eyes and they were greeted by clear, blue eyes that twinkled invitingly.

"Ah, please take a seat," he said smiling wide, gesturing generously to the seat.

His eyes scanned them quickly, counting seven (just seven) girls but of course his sharp eyes could not be deceived so easily. His gaze stayed a bit longer on the girl with the beautiful big eyes but he said nothing. Behind Jiho, Binnie was holding her breath. The man turned and, addressing Archer, he raised his hand and waved him away. Archer nodded and left the room, probably not to be seen for another couple of hours. Now it was just the eight girls and the lounging man. Once they had taken their seat, he spoke.

"Ah, just as promised, you're all quite lovely and cute," he said, surprisingly full of charm.

He flicked her hair to one side and tilted his head, smiling lightly at them. He seemed to be charismatic and friendly. He seemed like just the type of person who could run a business that thrived on social interaction and good times. None of them reacted to what he had said and he seemed surprised.

"Why, my lovely attendants are so stiff! You'll have to do better than that to attend to my precious guests. Serve them drinks, encourage them to stay longer. Just shoot," he said, aiming a finger at Hyojung who was beside him, "straight for their hearts."

He finished the imaginary shot with a blow and winked at Hyojung. She stared back, dumbfounded.

"They'll never want to leave~!" 

He laughed heartily and got up stretching.

"I'll show you an example, so follow me," he said, reaching for Hyojung's hand.

Hyojung wondered what to do but ended up taking it anyways. JinE watched silently as she took his hand. He gripped it tightly.

"You have very soft hands, love," he said softly, his breath gently caressing her face.

Hyojung felt a bit lightheaded and swayed a little. JinE suddenly appeared behind her and held her steady, gripping her shoulder tightly. The man's blue eyes flitted towards JinE, eyeing her up and down in a flash.

"Ah, what a lovely relationship you two have," he smiled, eyes twinkling mischievously at JinE. "It's important to have good relationships here."

JinE flashed him a white smile and he laughed wholesomely, seemingly very appreciative of JinE's sudden charm. Letting go of Hyojung's hand, he led them out of the room and began weaving between people, greeting them, having a toast, getting touchy at times and all in all having a good time. After a while, he told them to do the same and split up.

"You've seen the master work, now it won't be hard to do," he winked, grabbing a drink from one of the passing people.

He walked away with a bounce in his step and soon got lost in the crowd.

"What do we do?" Mimi asked worriedly.

"We do as he says," Jiho says. "We won't forget our mission either. We need to blend in and..." she said with a pause. She pointed her finger in front of her and pretended to fire. "...Shoot their hearts."

"I think we can squeeze out information from them if we win their hearts first," Seunghee suggested.

The others agreed hesitantly.

"But..." Seunghee said slowly, "Are you sure you'll be alright, Arin?"

Seunghee didn't bother to hide her worry and it surprised Arin. For some reason, Arin didn't want Seunghee's concern. She turned away quickly.

"I'll be fine," Arin said.

She walked briskly away from them and soon, she too was lost in the crowd.

"Ah, I can't believe our baby went on without us," JinE laughed. "Don't waste time. Let's go."

Before they left though, Hyojung gave them one last reminder.

"Don't forget to watch out for Archer. We need to leave as soon as we see him."

The others nodded and they soon separated. They adapted quickly and learned to give fleeting smiles, mysterious glances and everything that could make the other person curious enough to stay. The more they played around, the more the people seemed to flock around them and offer drinks and many other things such as a simple phone number or something a little more dubious like a room alone with them. It was like a continuous and fast paced game of cat and mouse but the girls weren't sure which one they were; the cat or the mouse? The longer they stayed, the more drinks appeared. They appeared bolder in color and the people cheered louder. The clubbers weren't getting tired although the girls were close to dropping dead from exhaustion. To entertain someone was not as easy as it seemed. 

"I've always been interested in girls with short hair," a greasy looking guy said, towering over Binnie.

She laughed softly although her heart was hammering in her chest. Somehow she had kept moving to the corner of the club and now she was alone with this persistent guy. Binnie had her hands behind her back with her fists curled tight. She was ready to knock the lights out of this guy but they were warned not to do anything to attract attention. A tiny gasp escaped as the guy's hand suddenly met her side, slightly below her hips. 

"Would you like another drink, sir?" said a familiar voice.

He turned around with a frown, annoyed at being interrupted but his frown immediately transformed when he saw JinE.

"Woah, another short haired cutie~!!!" he cooed, leaning towards JinE.

She shyly held out a bright blue drink for him, moving it around slightly between her fingers. He smiled graciously and immediately drank the whole thing, without the glass being removed from JinE's hands. He laughed loudly and leaned back, unsteadily.

"This place got a whole lot better. I hope you cuties stay," he said, attempting a drunken wink. "For now, I'll be hitting the dance floor!"

The two girls watched as he staggered away, pumping his fist to the music.

"Corners are bad news," JinE said, walking over to Binnie.

She was still twirling the glass around. Binnie eyed it warily.

"Do you smell that too?" Binnie asked quietly.

"Yes," JinE said seriously. "I don't think we can last another day in here. We need to find the others. Archer should be here soon."

JinE said that but she didn't move away from Binnie.

"JinE are you okay?" Binnie asked nervously, getting coaxed into the corner by JinE.

"I'm not sure, Binnie," JinE admitted, eyelids half-closed. "I took a sip of that drink."

JinE pressed her hand against the wall, next to Binnie's head. Binnie eyed the empty glass in JinE's other hand. The same hand that slowly moved to her waist. It slowly and deliberately moved down to the place where the greasy guy had once held her.

"All I know..." JinE said softly, "Is that I'm upset that that greasy guy touched you."

JinE moved in closer.

"Well, thanks for being concerned about me..." Binnie mumbled, heartbeat hammering even faster.

"Concerned?" JinE breathed. "The only one touching you... should be me."

She was leaning forward. The space between them was shrinking...

"Alrightalrightalright, t-that's enough, JinE," Binnie blubbered, stopping JinE. "Let's find the others!"

Without waiting for another second, Binnie pushed JinE away and took her hand, dragging her away from the corner.

"If JinE can't last in here, neither can any of us," Binnie thought.

She looked back at the dazed looking JinE. Tightening her grip on JinE's hand, Binnie resolved to get them out of here and quickly.

Somewhere inside the club, Arin was stumbling around, trying hard not to fall. After running away from the members, she had chatted a bit and smiled a whole lot, all the while rejecting drinks. She was starting to get dizzy from all the chaos in the sweaty underground club. She suddenly wished she hadn't run away from them.

"Are you already tired, cupid?"

Arin looked up from the ground to see the bright blue eyes of the charming man staring expectantly at her. She fumbled backwards and he caught her hand. He squeezed it tight and smiled.

"Oh my," he said, "Your hands are much softer than the other girl's."

Arin could feel his breath on her face and things began to get a bit hazy. She blinked twice, tyring to get control over her sudden fatigue.

"Do you drink, little one?" he asked, his voice getting airier.

She shook her head lousily. He smiled in a different way from before and slid next to her.

"Then it would be an honor if you had your first one with me," he said, draping his arm over her shoulders.

He walked away with her, all the while whispering softly into her ear. After that, the two were nowhere to be seen.

"Hyojung, I need your help!" 

Mimi's blonde hair came bobbing through the sea of people to meet Hyojung. Mimi's face looked utterly distressed and she tugged urgently on Hyojung's skirt.

"You've got to help me get YooA down from there!" Mimi pleaded, pointing to the stage.

On the stage was a long metal pole where YooA was gracefully twirling around and about on. Hyojung observed the situation and found that there was already a thick crowd around her that looked almost impenetrable.

"S-She took a drink from a guy who was being too pushy and then she started getting all giggly and... this happened!"

She gestured wildly again at YooA who was now hanging upside down from the pole with one leg wrapped around it. She smiled blissfully and her eyes were closed, as if she were doing this all in her sleep.

"Don't worry," Hyojung said. "I've read that alcohol does things to your brain and body. She might just have weak resistance to alcohol," Hyojung suggested.

"Are you sure?" Mimi asked, growing hopeful.

"No, I'm not," Hyojung replied frankly.

They stared up again at YooA who was still enjoying her performance wholeheartedly. They frowned and thought about what they could do.

Jiho was surprisingly good at this job. She was beautiful and she held an air of mystery about her as if it were her everyday coat. Everything seemed natural about her that everybody couldn't help but be interested in her. She laughed coquettishly and brushed her hair every so often. Only when she caught something in the corner of her eye did she stop.

"Hey, what's wrong, cupid?" a guy laughed, tipping his glass too much causing drops of liquid to fall.

She watched the drops splash down on the floor before she looked back up at him and smiled.

"Ah, it's nothing. I just remembered something. Can I get back to you guys later?" she asked, blinking her eyes slowly.

The crowd around her agreed loudly and began to dance their way to another spot. Jiho watched as they left before turning around. She scanned the area until she found what she was looking for.

"Seunghee," she said, grabbing the other girl's arm, "What are you doing? You're just wandering around," Jiho said sternly.

Seunghee almost didn't reply. She looked confused and a bit angry. 

'Have you seen Arin?" she asked in reply, eyes still scanning the room.

Jiho shook her head in reply. As she shook her head she saw someone else. Archer stood at the entrance with a heavy presence much like if someone saw the Grim reaper. Seunghee caught sight of him too and she frowned.

"I want to find Arin," she said stubbornly.

"Maybe," Jiho said, "She's already with him. We have to go, Seunghee."

She pulled the reluctant Seunghee forward and the closer they got to Archer, the more members they could see approaching. As Archer saw them approaching, he turned away and walked briskly. They walked faster as well until they were out of the club and back outside where the cool, fresh air greeted them.

"Why are you two carrying YooA?" Jiho asked, staring at the struggling Hyojung and Mimi.

"Don't ask," Mimi groaned.

They continued to walk until they reached the black van. Opening the door, he told them to get in.

"Arin's not here," Seunghee interjected. "We have to go get her."

She turned back to the club but a firm grip held her shoulder. She looked back angrily to see who had stopped her but she got surprised to see that it was Archer.

"You'll do no such thing."

"How can we leave without Arin?" Hyojung asked. "She's our member."

"Yeah, Archer," JinE said. "That place isn't safe at all."

Binnie felt grateful that JinE seemed to be back to normal. Moreover, the eight girls all knew that they needed to go back and find Arin yet just Archer alone could be enough to stop them all. They could feel his authority over them and it was crushing.

"You have work again later," he said, letting go of Seunghee. "Get in."

Nobody spoke as Archer drove quickly back to their base. As soon as the dropped down the chute they were greeted by the boss. She smiled and helped them up, much to their surprise. She quickly scanned them.

"Go to bed now. It will help you get your mind off..." she said, looking at the empty space next to Seunghee. "Certain things."

The girls nodded and went back to their rooms, pair by pair. Seunghee walked in alone. The lights went out and they began to fall asleep.

The late night chat began between JinE, Binnie and Jiho.

"Why did you say it's dangerous?" Jiho asked.

Her voice traveled, undisturbed, to JinE who lay with her eyes closed.

"What kind of question is that?" JinE scoffed. "Being alone is always dangerous. Well, at least being alone with strangers is."

"Is that all?" Jiho asked skeptically. "It sounded like you knew a bit more."

JinE opened her eyes and saw Binnie gazing at her with a faraway look in her eyes. JinE closed her eyes again and breathed in deeply.

"That's all there is to it."

Jiho didn't ask anymore and sooner than later, they drifted off into an uneasy sleep. Once they had started snoring softly, a figure moved up in the dark. The figure reached for searching for something until it finally got a hold of what it was looking for. Aiming carefully, the figure tossed something across the other rooms all the way to where Mimi lay. Mimi woke up with a start.

"Hey, what-!" 

"Shh!!!" the voice said, hushing Mimi.

"Seunghee?" Mimi whispered.

"Listen, Mimi," Seunghee said urgently. "I need your help."

A few minutes later, the girls woke up coughing to the uncomfortable smell of smoke.

"Move out! Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

The sleepy girls groggily ran out, unaware of what was happening. There were orange flames in several places and they were only growing bigger. The men ushered them out into the clearer area.

"W-What's happening?" Hyojung coughed.

Archer was there and so was the boss but before anybody could reply another fire raged to life between them, throwing them back. The fire was soon extinguished but when the boss looked, there were only five girls left. The boss looked around and spotted a tiny, charred object. She picked it up and examined it thoroughly.

"That Seunghee girl," the boss said, looking annoyed, "really is an inventive troublemaker."

"You three!" she barked to the men who had ushered the girls. "Go chase them. Now."

The bolted at the speed of light and soon disappeared from their sights. The boss then whipped out a remote from her pocket. There were eight buttons with different colors and with an angry tap she simultaneously pressed te green button and the salmon colored button. JinE cringed at the sight of it. It seemed that she was not satisfied as she her heel and walked briskly away. On her way, she called back to Archer.

"Bring the rest of them to the isolation room."

"You can open the car right?" Seughee asked nervously, tentatively stretching the rubber gloves she had tucked around their collars with.

"I can open it, start it and drive it."

With a proud click, the car opened.

"Hop in."

Seunghee immediately took the passenger seat and Mimi started the car.

"Don't forget to buckle your seatbealt," Mimi said.

And with that, the car screeched away. Seunghee watched Mimi drive in admiration.

"You're pretty awesome, you know that?" Seunghee said, slightly out of breath. "You didn't even have the keys."

"Well, you must have hoped I could do that if you asked me for help," Mimi laughed.

"But you know," Mimi said, sobering up, "You're pretty amazing too. You thought this all out in such a short time. And where'd you get all the stuff to make everything?"

"Well, there were a couple of weirdos at the club so I kinda got some gifts from them," she said with a wink.

They sat in silence for a while as they drove along the empty road. Seunghee talked from time to time to give Mimi certain directions. As they were nearing Mimi finally asked a question.

"Once we find Arin, what comes next?"

"Mimi, that is a bridge that we will burn once we get there," Seunghee said flatly. "Right now, all we need to do is find Arin."

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Next part will be released soon (hopefully)
I struggled with whether to mark this as M or not coz I ust want to be safe but I have a hard time with boundaries HAHAHA
If only somebody could help me rate these  chapters :<<

But anyways, the other chapters might come along faster since after next week it'll be my break so feel free to expect more xD