“So…”-Minkyung started talking.

The room’s atmosphere is weird for Chungha, it’s a mix between tense and anxious. Three more people alongside her were gathered surrounding a large rectangular glass table. A blueprint rested in the middle of it, well illuminated by a couple of room lights that projected their light upwards from under the table, making the blueprint glow a faint blue. Surrounding it were guns of various different sizes and class.

They were in a briefing room, preparing in advance for the best way to engage the people who were inside the mansion they were going to assault. Prior to that they had gone to the armory, getting an HK416 assault rifle and a Beretta 92. From what Chungha was told, this seemed to be the standard armament for quick assault missions that required a less stealthy approach. Apart from the guns, they were required to grab a bulletproof vest, a couple of flash and concussion grenades and a knife.

It was nothing she couldn’t handle, she was accustomed to carrying heavy equipment from her days on the force, moreover, she was quite acquainted with the HK416 since, after all, it was one of her favorites picks during the time she spent on the field.

But right now they had moved onto the tactical planning and were currently analyzing the blueprints that the intel department had the courtesy of providing. This was usually the part she left for Nayoung when they worked together…

Nayoung…

She was really close to catching her, and the mere thought of was setting her whole spirit on fire. The anticipation certainly doing nothing other than rousing that feeling.

“This is what we’ll do…”-Minkyung continued from her spot right in front of Chungha- “There seems to be a back entrance so it’s more than likely than, once they spot us, they’ll try to escape from there. To prevent that, we are going to separate in two groups.”

“Is stealth really necessary?”- Yebin interrupted Minkyung, looking rather bored with the preparation.

“Of course it is!”- Yewon chirped into the conversation, her characteristic smile still plastered on her lips. – “Stealth makes everything easier”

Yewon was answered by a content nod from Minkyung and a frustrated huff from Yebin.

“So, as I was saying, we’ll enter the mansion from both sides, flanking them, this should prevent any of them from escaping. I believe it was called the pincer maneuver”- Minkyung cited the well-known military maneuver – “The building has three floors and basement, once we clear the ground floor the basement should be our priority. We’ll…”

“Yeah, yeah, we’ll clean up the rest of the floors in order after that, is that it?”- Yebin butted in Minkyung’s explanation, to the latter’s discontent, for the second time in the last couple of minutes.

“You are surprisingly grumpy today…”- The assassin in front of her said quietly but with a tinge of annoyance, scrutinizing Yebin with a stare.

“I just want to leave, get there, get our job done and get out”- Yebin answered, disregardingly waving her hand in a circular motion, as if “shooing” Minkyung away.

Minkyung looked at Chungha and the cop raised an eyebrow at her. Yewon let out a silent giggle, almost as if she remotely knew what was going on.

“You were never this… eager… before, is there a problem Yeb?”- Minkyung, however, pressed on.

But Yebin didn’t get time to answer before a fifth figure stepped into the briefing room.

“There has been a change of plans”- Yeonjung’s commanding voice muted everyone instantly – “I’ve been told we’ve been compromised; the rebels may not be there once you arrive”

“We were about to leave boss, I’m sure they…”- Minkyung got up, addressing Yeonjung directly, but she was interrupted for a third time.

“One of our own was captured in the last attack and she may have told them what we know about them”- Yeonjung continued, her face devoid of any discernable emotion like always – “Kill them all, do not leave a single one of them alive”

“Not even the girl…?”

“Not even her.”

And then she left as casually as she had entered the room, without even sparing them a single look.

“Well … all this planning for nothing.”- Minkyung sighed, fell back on her chair and deflated like a balloon.

“I’m curious about something… boss mentioned that she sent another team, right?”- Yewon spoke up, voicing her doubts to the rest of the team - “Then why are we going? Shouldn’t they already be there?”

“Maybe it’s a scouting party? That would explain why she knows that they probably won’t be there.”- Yebin answered nonchalantly, with her head still resting on her crossed arms, leaning on the table.

“I don’t know, you know her, there is obviously something we don’t know, even Chungha knows by now that boss has her fair share of secrets”- Minkyung answered too.

“Oh? Umm, yeah, exactly”- Chungha answered absentminded.

But she wasn’t being exactly honest. It was the other way around.

She knew exactly what Yeonjung was up to.

There were speculations anyways, but she was sure she knew why Yeonjung just barged in, told them to kill everyone, and left. She remembers Kyla telling her about the last raid to the mansion in which two girls by the name of Yoojung and Doyeon were sent alongside a group of regular soldiers to try to do the same they were going to do now.

Long story short, the soldiers were killed and the assassins presumably captured.

How does this tie with the other team Yeonjung is sending? Easy, Chungha knows for a fact that the other team will try to covertly get the rebel group out of the mansion and take them to safety. Her team was just supposed to clean what remained, or to be clear; those who refused to follow Yeonjung.

Based on what Minkyung told her, the assassin was supposed to, once the assignment was finished, write a report and forward it to both Yeonjung and one of JYP’s assistants. This was supposedly ordered by JYP himself. He must have been becoming wary of Yeonjung.

That’s when it makes complete sense for her. Yeonjung ordered the first attack on the mansion so that it would be believable if the rebellious group was no longer there by the time they arrived. Yoojung and Doyeon weren’t meant to perform a successful raid that night…

They were just death fodder so that Yeonjung could get the whole group out of there in the future. Chungha’s group was only sent to confirm that there was nobody there so that JYP would stop doubting her efforts. Yeonjung was only using them to cover her own tracks.

And, on top of everything, she was denying Chungha her shot at revenge.

That tricky son of a . Truly that woman was always one step ahead of everyone.

But Chungha wouldn’t expose her just now, she was smarter than that, she would play her game… for now.

“Chungha? Are you listening?”- Minkyung brought her back to earth after a light tap on the shoulder – “Yewon and I are going to get the cars, do you want to drive with me?”

Chungha considered it for half a second, she was about to accept when Yebin cleared , seeking their attention. Chungha looked at her and saw her looking anxious, uneasy even, like she was afraid of something.

“Actually… do you want to ride with me? I… I have something to tell you”- Yebin spoke hesitantly and Chungha noticed that Minkyung’s stare hardened as she glared at Yebin.

Chungha threw a confused look at Minkyung, who shook her head lightly.

“Of course I’ll go with you”- Chungha looked back at Yebin, complying.

Minkyung just exhaled and turned around, following Yewon out of the room, leaving the two of them alone.

“Come on, let’s follow them to the cars.”- Chungha wasted no time, urging Yebin to move as she got up.

They both exited the room together, going after their two teammates.

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

Two SUVs were on the road, going at about 70 kilometers per hour. The group had left the city environment about an hour ago and they had been traveling just a little bit longer than that. The team was currently traversing a road surrounded by foliage and fields. Yebin and Chungha were currently in the second vehicle and they had been driving under a very awkward atmosphere ever since they left HQ.

Chungha had unsuccessfully tried to initiate a conversation with Yebin a couple of times, but the girl mostly answered with short sentences and monosyllables. However, her meager responses seemed to hint at something else, it gave Chungha the impression that she was saving her words, and the way Yebin breathed every time Chungha spoke indicated that the assassin was actually intimidated by the cop. She inhaled from time to time, probably wanting to say something but shying away at the last second.

The curiosity was driving Chungha nuts, she truly wanted to know what was preoccupying Yebin that much. She hadn’t known her for that long but she had come to at least care a little for the team. Yebin in particular, since she along with Kyla were the most welcoming out of them all.

Yebin inhaled soundly for the nth time and Chungha gave up, throwing respect out the window and deciding to confront Yebin about what was troubling her instead.

“Spit it out god damnit, I’ve been watching you wrestle with yourself for the past hour and it’s not entertaining anymore… jeez.”- This seemed to startle Yebin, as the girl jumped a little before strongly holding the driving wheel again to prevent the SUV from steering.

She breathed in and out again like she had been doing for the past hour, only that this time she finally answered, looking perplexed at Chungha’s sudden perceptiveness.

“You are… sharp, to say the least”- Chungha had the feeling that she would try to avoid the subject.

“It doesn’t take a sharp person to notice that something is wrong Yebin, you have been looking really restless since this morning, so what is it? Is the assignment troubling you?”- Chungha sounded like a mother, smooth and melodious, and that managed to visibly relax Yebin a little somehow.

“… I don’t know if I should…”- Yebin spoke a little more calmly now - “Please don’t tell the others.”

“Go ahead, what is the problem?”- Chungha gently urged Yebin to continue.

“I… … Yeonjung is going to kill me if she learns about this.”- Yebin’s composure was worsening by the second, she was steadily losing the calm she had obtained - “Your… girlfriend… Sejeong, I knew her”

“What?!”- Chungha lost her cool for a second, surprising Yebin again. She doesn’t remember telling about Sejeong to her, the only one that was supposed to know, barring Yeonjung, was Minkyung.

“We all knew her”- Yebin closed her eyes, inhaled, and opened them again, this time full of determination - “She was working for us as Yeonjung’s right hand.”

“Bull! Is this some kind of joke?”- Chungha was losing her cool at what she perceived to be a sick, twisted attempt at humor, but her accusations only made Yebin start to get riled up.

“The hell?! Do you seriously think I’d lie about this kind of ?!”- The assassin raised her voice, silencing Chungha for a moment.

“She...”- She had not thought about Sejeong for quite some time, except that night when she was in Minkyung’s room, she vividly remembers Sejeong flashing through her mind before she… – “Then… does that mean Yeonjung sent her to kill Nayoung?”

“No… I was supposed to go with Minky… but she left before us!”- Yebin spoke fast and loud, almost as if trying to excuse herself. - “When we caught up… she was already dead…”

“And why are you telling me this