A car continued to drive in the distance that is now two hours away from the city. Surrounded by nothing but trees ahead, stranded in a place that no one knows of.

Hayoung rubbed her eyes and shifts to look at the mirror, Namjoo is still unconscious. She had wondered if Yerin had put too much chloroform thus the effects were more longer. Regrets began to fill her heart thinking how Yerin and Joy would react to her betrayal.

She couldn't believe that love has won over everything.

After hours of driving, Hayoung parked the car in an open space. Opening the door, she began to unfasten the ropes tying Namjoo's hands and removed the duct tape covering . Thinking that she would have to exert her energy again, she took a deep breath. With a count of three, Hayoung carried Namjoo bridal style as she walked up the wooden flight of stairs to an abandoned treehouse.

The treehouse was located deep into the woods, guarded by rows of mountains that have been untouched by mankind. It would be impossible to find them in such a deserted place. Carefully taking each step upwards, Namjoo's eyelashes began to flutter. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see someone carrying her. She could not make up the face because of the sunlight shining directly at her. But her tight yet warm grip and her rhythmic breaths, Namjoo was able to feel at ease.

She knew that this person meant no harm.

Because this person is the girl whom she loved so much.

"Don't say anything." said Hayoung noticing that Namjoo had woken up. She opened the door with a grunt and entered the treehouse. Although abandoned, old furniture is still intact, two mattresses on the floor, a small table, couch and simple kitchen facilities, it was a makeshift home.

Hayoung gently placed Namjoo onto the bare mattress and turned around quickly, as if to avoid having a conversation with her.

"Hayoung-ah..."

"Wait here. I'm going back down to switch on the power source."

The girl shut the door and walked back down.

Alone, Namjoo experienced an influx of emotions, unsure how to face Hayoung later. Or rather, she had no idea what she was up to.

What was she planning to do, kidnapping her into a secluded place? The girl took out her phone but there was no signal. It appears Hayoung had planned it out perfectly so that she could not escape.

But was Hayoung her enemy or an ally?

There were just too many things going on.

Why was Hayoung involved with 96? Why did she decide to fake her death?

Ever since that incident, Namjoo had a hard time trying to admit the fact that she was really gone.

She had tried to move on, believing that her death would mean a new chapter in her life.

But here they are meeting after 5 years.

5 years has been far too long.

But within that period, Namjoo had only one answer for the many questions swirling in her head.

Just one.

As the door opened to Hayoung returning after switching on the power, Namjoo got up and walked to her.

“H-Hey…” stuttered Hayoung, standing still.

The words Namjoo wanted to say did not come out of .

Instead, the girl threw herself onto Hayoung and locked her lips onto hers. The younger girl responded, instinctively holding onto her nape and positioned her head so that she could kiss comfortably.

The two shared a long kiss, one that yearned for each other's love during the moments when they were far apart.

The answer was already clear.

Despite all of the efforts that Namjoo and Hayoung did to forget about each other,

It was impossible.

They were still so deep in love.

"I'm sorry." breathed Hayoung from the kiss.

"What have you been doing all these years?" asked Namjoo, her eyes welling up.

"Stuff that you wouldn't be happy about."

"Why did you bring me here?" The girl continued her interrogation.

"To protect you."

"What do you mean Hayoung-ah?"

"I…am supposed to kill you." confessed Hayoung, her eyes faltered. Guilt seeped through her heart upon watching Namjoo's tears roll down her cheeks.

"Hayoung-ah....."

"But I can't." sighed the girl in frustration. "Even after all these years...I can never bring myself to do that."

"That idiot better not be late." sighed Eunji as she leaned against her red motorcycle, dressed in a grey oversized hoodie as she looked around, hoping to see Bomi from a distance.

Her heart was uneasy, thinking that Chorong has been released from jail. It seemed impossible but if it is true, then the two are screwed. They would need to come up with a plan, before those guys catch up.

"Hey! I'm here!" shouted Bomi, waving from across.

"Shut up and hurry over!" cussed Eunji, placing her finger over her lips to tell Bomi to be quiet. She was afraid that her loud friend would catch attention.

"Give me a break okay? I was just discharged from the hospital today."

"Bom-ah..." sighed Eunji as she had a hint of what caused it.

She knew that her friend was living in poverty and was suffering. She had tried to give her money several times but the girl refused. She blamed herself and felt that she deserved to suffer because what she has done.

Bomi explained how she met Chorong at the hospital and how she vividly remembers seeing police officers patrolling around her ward's floor.

"So they figured it out huh? . " Eunji cussed.

"What are we going to do now?" asked Bomi, eyes filled with fear. "Submit ourselves to the police?"

"Stupid! You want all of us to die?!"

"Then?!"

"I-I don't know!"

As the two friends looked at each other in a loss. It reminded of how they were, 5 years ago. They were on the verge of becoming enemies.

On the verge of breaking their friendship apart.

Maybe time does heal wounds.

A punch flew across Bomi's cheek as the girl fell down due to the impact. Eunji then grabbed her collar and pulled her closely.

"Listen! This is all your ing fault Yoon Bomi!" shouted Eunji, enraged.

"It's our fault!" said Bomi, wiping blood from .

"If it wasn't for your stupid decision, they didn't have to go through that! If you didn't do that, Hayoung would still be alive!"

"Don't bring Hayoung into this!" said Bomi as she used her remaining strength to grab Eunji's collar. "You said we were in this together. Now you're the one who's gonna backstab me?!"

"Do you even realise what you're saying?"

"No. I ing don't."

"Because of what you've done, Chorong unnie's cleaning up your mess!!"

"W-What?" Bomi's eyes widened in confusion.

"She's going to prison to cover your , idiot !!!!!!"

"She...."

"Because of your mess......everyone's going to hell."

"I......." Bomi began to well up in tears, realising what she done. "Move." she shoved her friend aside and began walking towards the shore.

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm killing myself." The girl walked into the sea, submerging herself slowly.

She wanted to drown and die.

"Stupid!" yelled Eunji as she grabbed hold and pulled Bomi out of the water, sending a numbing punch across her face hoping that she would return to her senses.

"Hit me Eunji-ya. Keep doing that. Kill me....please....." sobbed Bomi, as she stared at her friend, hoping that she would keep punching her.

"Get hold of yourself Bom-ah! You can’t just ing die!"

"What's the point of living anymore huh?"

"You have to live." said Eunji. "Live for Chorong unnie's and Hayoung's sake."

Now older and mature, the two friends settled their differences.

Ever since Chorong's imprisonment, it was their idea to break their friendship. By separating the four of them and pretended that they were strangers, it was simply for their safety.

They had no other choice.

"We have to get the others." suggested Eunji, thinking out the situation in a calmly manner.

"How? The last I heard, Namjoo was going to police school and Naeun...."

"I met her."

"You did?"

"Y-Yeah......yesterday in fact...." mumbled Eunji.

"Eunji-ya...."

“Well, what about you? You’re going to meet Chorong unnie.” Eunji asked with worry.

“I’m scared…”

"Well, what goes around comes around. This is the mess you started with, so fix it.” Eunji patted Bomi’s shoulder. “Anyways, we don't have time. Let's go." sighed the girl as started the engine of her motorcycle.

"Where are we going?" asked Bomi as she sat behind Eunji.

"To where Naeun is."

"Are you sure?"

"Does it look like I have a choice? I can't let her be in danger!" scowled Eunji as she angrily wore her helmet.

"Fine."

The red motorcycle sped quickly from the Han River and straight onto the streets.

They were headed for Hilton Hotel.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" asked Irene with worry.

"The GPS said we've reached our destination." replied Solar as their car was facing a large gate with the sign "NO ENTRY".

"She's got to be in there then." said Chorong.

"Bust it through." said Irene.

"W-What?! Hey, this is my car, my precious baby that I've been-" Solar paused to see both Chorong and Irene glaring at her. She gulped. "You guys are crazy." she sighed. "Hold on tight." She pushed the gear down.

Solar stepped on the accelerator in full force, causing the car to charge forward. Approaching it like a ram, the gate bursted open due to its powerful force. With a loud bang, the girls managed to break through and into the enclosed forest reserve.

"Your car is like steel!" laughed Irene, amazed that it worked.

"As if!" retorted Solar, "My poor baby!!" she whined.

They continued to move along the path. Surprisingly, the car had only a few dents on the front rear and is still able to function well.

"There's a cabin at the front." pointed Chorong.

"I don't have a good feeling about this guys..." said Solar as she parked the car.

"Only way to find out." said Irene, bravely heading out as she loaded her gun.

"Do you know how to use a gun, Chorong-ssi?" asked Solar.

"No but I've learnt Hapkido for about 8 years so self defending should be no problem."

"Impressive. You might actually be a great addition to our team." joked Solar with amusement as she took out her gun. "Just stay close."

The two officers carefully walked up the steps and stood at the front of the cabin door. Chorong followed behind. Leaning their ears onto the frame, they were able to hear muffled voices of people talking.

They appeared to be arguing.

Solar then signalled Irene to stand at the other side and prepare for entry.

They were waiting for the right time, whilst eavesdropping onto the conversation.

"Why didn't you tell Hayoung about it earlier?!" shouted Joy in frustration.

"Wasn't that your responsibility?!" replied Yerin, blaming her partner.

", what are we going to do now?"

"I don't know, it's your damn fault!"

Solar glanced at Irene as the two nodded. Busting through the door, the officers held their guns up and corners the two.

"Put your hands up!"

"!"

Due to Joy and Yerin's quick reflexes, both parties were now pointing guns at each other. They were ready to pull the trigger. But Joy recognized a familiar face.

"I-Irene unnie?" stuttered Joy in surprise.

"Sooyoungie?" Irene's eyes widened.

"W…What are you doing here?"

"I would ask you the same...."

"Watch out!" shouted Yerin as she aimed quickly and pulled the trigger, causing a loud bang to echo the forest reserve.

A man in black stumbled down the stairs with a groan. He was creeping behind Chorong ready to shoot at her.

"We have to go now." said Yerin, reloading her gun and dashing to Solar’s car.

"There's no time. You guys are here to find Namjoo right?" asked Joy, taking note of Irene and Solar's police uniforms. The two nodded in response, yet bewildered by the whole situation.

"Okay good. We're not your enemies then." Joy continued as Yerin was suddenly taking the wheel of Solar's car.

"H-Hey what are you doing that’s my car-"

"We have to get those two first. LLNK caught track of our motives." explained Joy as Solar, Irene and Chorong entered the backseat but still kept their guard up.

"LLNK?" asked Solar.

"They ordered us to capture Hayoung's friends. You included." said Joy, pointing at Chorong.

"But that stupid girl thinks that we're her enemies." sighed Yerin. "Now she's gone to take her girlfriend all by herself on some lovey-dovey that I'm not interested in."

"I know this may sound strange, but we are going to need your help." said Joy as she avoided making eye contact with Irene. "We know what you're after and we can give you all the information you need."

The two police officers exchanged glances but there was no need for a discussion. They were able to tell what they were thinking just by looking at each other's eyes.

"Alright. We're in." said Solar.

"You're saying the organisation you're working for is LLNK and that ing group faked your death so you could join them?!" gasped Namjoo as she listened intently to what Hayoung had been wanting to explain to her for a long time. She learned that Hayoung has been keeping a close watch on her, all along. Because of her hacking skills, Hayoung was making sure that she was safe through several cameras that were secretly installed. Of course, she didn't like the idea that her privacy was being intruded. But her heart melted at Hayoung's sweet actions.

She was doing her best to protect her, even though she could not be physically there with her.

"The team I've been assigned to is 96 which is the case you're investigating right now. Hacking into Woori Bank was an order from my boss. But we received another urgent mission." explained Hayoung. "To kill the ones that have knowledge of that weapon."

"That includes me...."

"Correct. But-"

"Then, the others are in danger. Bomi, Eunji, Naeun-"

"Chorong unnie is out of jail."

"What?!" gasped Namjoo.

"That's why they initiated the order. Life would've been peaceful if Chorong unnie was still behind bars. But this meant that the police caught our act. They found out."

"If that's the case, why are we hiding here? Shouldn't we submit ourselves to the police?"

"We can't."

"Hayoung-ah..."

"Let's leave the country. Go to a place far, far away so that no one will find us. Then we will live peacefu-"

"And let them die?"

"I..."

"Since when have you become so selfish?"

"..."

"Those bastards made you into such a....heartless person......"

"What should we get?"

"Hayoung's a picky eater so let's choose something that fits her taste."

"No, our maknae should eat lots and grow healthily!"

"Wow, I can't imagine when the time comes and this kid is taller than me."

"The time Hayoungie graduates from high school, I won't be ironing uniforms anymore."

"You sound happy about that Chorong unnie haha!"

"I'm not! Hey, we're supposed to order our food."

"O-Oh right! Um...."

"Let Hayoungie pick. She's the birthday girl after all."

"Hayoung-ah, what do you want to eat?"

Hayoung never thought she would travel back to those memories. The happy days when there were no worries, nothing but comfort and happiness. She was once, everyone's favourite maknae that was pampered, loved and protected.

It had been so long since, she had forgotten who she was.

Ever since joining LLNK, they had brainwashed her into a dog that follows orders from its master. Trained to hunt on its prey and enhance her raw talents of hacking for a greater benefit, she had forgotten the feelings of human touch, except for love. She was able to erase her friends, but never Namjoo.

Hayoung went silent, guilty after Namjoo knocked some sense into her.

But either way, there was no turning back.

She has betrayed her own home and it would be humiliating to face her unnies again. Whenever she thought of a solution, there would be danger ahead and Hayoung could not risk to put Namjoo in that situation. Knowing that Joy and Yerin would be coming for her head and that LLNK would be furious at her betrayal, there was only one way out.

She was exhausted of running away, tired of playing pretend. Because she was all alone with the girl whom she loved with all her heart, she was able to be the real Hayoung.

She was able to break down the walls of hiding her true, inner self.

"Then..." said Hayoung as she suddenly took her gun hidden inside her coat and aimed at her forehead.

"Hayoung-ah!"

"Wouldn't it be better if we just die together?"

Namjoo's eyes widened at the girl's reckless decision. This was not going the way she had expected. The girl in front of her, was lost in the dark.

She needed help.

She was confused, distressed and not in her right mind.

"Hayoung, don't do it."

"It's the only way." said Hayoung, tears welling up in her eyes as the gun clicked. She was tired of everything, locking up her feelings inside for 5 years straight had been killing her slowly.

"No...."

"I'll go first."

"HAYOUNG NO!"

A gun fire followed after.

Here she was at her usual workplace, Hilton Hotel.

Naeun continued her daily routine and erased every single memory of Eunji that night. She simply concluded it as pure coincidence and such would never occur again. As much as she had tried to make things better, it was all fruitless. What was the point of putting in effort when the end result will be the same? There was never hope in the beginning.

In fact, why should she concern herself with Eunji when she had other matters to worry about. Naeun had a list of customers waiting in line for her services and a lot of mental strength was needed to keep up her continuous acts.

She needed to focus.

But no matter how much she had tried to brainwash herself, Eunji kept appearing in her head. The thought of making her upset upon knowing what she has been doing these 5 years, guilt filled her heart. Hesitant to enter the building where she would spend the next 12 hours, she stopped her steps, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Forget about her. Do not involve yourself with that girl anymore. There’s no point in thinking about that. Just focus on what you’re doing. It’s about the present that counts, not the past."

By self-brainwashing herself, Naeun entered the lobby to receive her hotel room keys at the counter. As a frequent customer, there was no need to say anything.

Room 222 is always a reserved and special place for her to conduct her services.

Taking the lift to the 7th floor as she walked along the long corridor, Naeun checked the time on her phone. She's 10 minutes early for her first customer of the day. That should give her ample of time to prepare her body. Upon unlocking the door with a click, Naeun froze at the doorstep.

There was a shadowy figure in front of her, it was comfortably sitting onto a chair like there was no care in the world.

"I've been waiting." A voice belonging to a man. But it felt all too familiar. "Do you remember me?"

The lights were suddenly switched on that gave a clearer picture of who it was. A black dragon tattoo on his right arm, a scar on his left cheek and that sinister smirk.

Her heart dropped.

It was Kwon Jiyong.

The man who had kidnapped her, 5 years ago.

"W-What are you doing here?" stuttered Naeun in shock, fear filled her eyes.

She remembers him as a haunting nightmare.

Without a reply, the man snapped his fingers as two men caught Naeun from behind, covering a black hood over her head. Unable to see anything, she struggled to fight back, kicking and screaming for help. But it was useless. Naeun was dragged onto the floor like a sack of rice, her hands and feet scrapped painfully by the rough carpet floor.

Realising that it was futile to fight back, she decided to focus on her surroundings by listening. She could hear the bell of the lift, followed by a hollow echo. She was sure that this was the hotel's basement carpark. The girl was tossed into a black van like a as the vehicle sped off quickly.

The man took out the black bag covering Naeun's face, allowing the girl to properly breathe.

"What do you want with me?!" gasped Naeun, taking short breaths.

"Oh, nothing. Just kidnapping you so that the police won't find ya." The man said in an intimidating tone as he playfully twirled his gun between his fingers.

"W-What?"

"Or are you pretending that you know nothing of what happened 5 years ago? I would've just shot a bullet straight into your skull if I wanted to," he aimed his gun at Naeun and pretended to pull the trigger. "Bang~ and your blood would spew out like a beautiful firework. What a magnificent sight." He chuckled, his imagination going to places. "But Boss wanted you alive. He likes you and oh, what a coincidence. I like you too. After all, we have a pretty good time before." The man landed his hand onto Naeun's thighs, gently sliding it towards her private part as if to arouse himself.

"S-Stop it....." begged Naeun.

"Maybe I should enjoy the prize first before handing it over to him. Sounds like a great idea, don't you think?" Jiyong leaned himself close to Naeun's cheek so that he could feel her breath against him.

"Sir, we have company." interrupted one of his men.

"What?!" growled Jiyong in annoyance, angry that someone ruined his moment. He turned to look behind. There was a bright, red motorcycle chasing after the van.

It was Eunji and Bomi.

"Kill them!" he ordered.

His men rolled the windows down and prepared to take out their guns, aiming at the motorcycle. But as they took a closer look of who it was, they were hesitant.

"What are you doing?! Shoot them!" shouted Jiyong.

"W-We can't sir. They are Bomi and Eunji, boss wants them captured too…”

"Then, lucky me." The man smirked. "Capture them."

"Roger." His men switched their guns to a bigger rifle that contained special chemically-made bullets that would knock them unconscious. "Fire!"

A bullet flew through but missed.

Due to Eunji's skills, she managed to dodge the bullets by weaving in and out between the cars. Bomi held on tightly, hoping that she wouldn't fall due to the lightning speed. Catching up, the two were now side-by-side with the black van.

"Naeun-ah!" shouted Bomi.

The girl turned around to catch a glimpse of Eunji and Bomi.

But it only lasted for a second.

As they were distracted with saving Naeun, the girls were not aware of their surroundings. Jiyong's men took the advantage and fired a shot. The bullets pierced through their shoulders as they fell off, rolling over the concrete road helplessly. In a blur, Eunji's motorcycle toppled over as the black van skidded and came to a halt. Jiyong's men quickly got out to drag Eunji and Bomi's unconscious bodies into the vehicle before speeding off.

Tears welled up in Naeun's eyes, feeling helpless as she could not do anything.

"Please...if there is anyone out there......please save us...." prayed Naeun in her head, hoping that a miracle would happen.

"You're telling me we're dealing with North Korean spies?!" gasped Solar.

"We have to tell captain about this immediately." said Irene as she searched her pockets for her phone. But remembered that it had been confiscated for this secret mission.

"I can't believe Hayoung did that.." said Chorong, speechless.

Throughout the two-hour drive to a place in which, what Joy calls "Hayoung's favourite hideout", otherwise an abandoned treehouse located near the borders of the North & South, the girl explained every single detail of who she was working for.

LLNK which stands for Long Live North Korea, is an independent North Korean organisation working undercover in the South. It has been around for decades, acting as a messenger to report on South's developments. This of course, included military advancements, political plans and such. Whilst stealing such precious information, this allowed the North to develop blueprints for a powerful nuclear weapon that could possibly outmatch big guns like America.

Problem was, they lacked sufficient resources to build it. Constant failures and test-runs were the main causes of its delay, especially as to how the factory was located in an isolated area where it was difficult to transport goods.

What occurred 5 years ago, was a mistake made by one of their generals, Moon Hee Jun. A decoy was needed to divert patrolling police so that their nuclear weapon in progress could be transported to another hidden facility. By attempting to make use of "seemingly" naive high school girls to act as a decoy, it was a perfect plan.

Those high school girls were Bomi and Eunji, who were baited by a "large sum of money" as a reward to deliver a packet of heroin. Naeun and Namjoo were just unlucky targets who were taken in as victims, to prolong the diversion. The plan appeared to go well until Bomi decided to bail out. This had made LLNK furious as their plans could crumble but, a totally unexpected situation happened.

Bomi was not captured by the police. Instead, another girl took her place.

Park Chorong.

It was a rather unexpected situation but LLNK simply called it a case of "luck" as this meant, their secret is still kept safe and sound. As they were fully aware that the girls had knowledge of what they were and what nuclear weapons they were transporting, they were planning to kill all of them.

But, that never happened.

A decision made by general Moon Hee Jun who was tempted by Hayoung’s trading deal where the girl would join their team. In return, their lives were spared. Aware that the organisation would take great interest in her hacking skills obtained from young, Hayoung had skilfully persuaded him so that her unnies would be safe.

Agreeing to the deal, LLNK released the girls out into the streets and threatened them to keep their nuclear weapon knowledge a secret. Hayoung was taken in as their own. Since then, the girl was erased from human's existence and worked in the shadows. An accidental death was masterfully planned out to have people believe that she had died, including her unnies.

It was all part of the protocol for one who joins LLNK.

Everything seemed to move on peacefully 5 years then. Hayoung turned into a master hacker, venturing onto various missions and has since, earned an amount of trust and loyalty in LLNK.

But Chorong's sudden release from jail sparked chaos in the organisation. Someone found out about LLNK's existence and pieced the puzzle together. This meant that the police had full knowledge of what happened 5 years ago and were now on full run to catch those five girls who were present that day.

A decision was made, LLNK had to capture them before the police did.

They weren’t dumb. Sure, they could kill them but LLNK wanted to take advantage to trade hostages in exchange for important information.

It is now, a race against time.

"But Hayoung insisted on handling Namjoo, saying that she will kill her" said Joy. "Because LLNK trusted her, Namjoo is off their radar. But obviously, it’s a lie."

"However, it wouldn't take long before the superiors find out her betrayal. I would say, it's a suicide mission." sighed Yerin.

"Actually, us too. I can't believe we agreed to join the bandwagon of helping Hayoung out. Huh, that girl ought be thankful!" scoffed Joy.

"But why? Why are you risking your lives for Hayoung?" asked Chorong.

"Well..." Joy and Yerin exchanged glances with each other, smiling as they remembered their times together.

"She can be an at times..."

"But if it wasn't for her back then, we would already be dead."

"Yeah, we owe her. So we're just repaying the favour."

"And will ya look at that, story telling is over. Let's get that of ours." said Joy as the car finally reached its destination.

Birds flew around the treehouse, chirping and singing their songs that made peace in the forest. A lullaby that kept out dark thoughts from harbouring Hayoung as she fell into a deep sleep, exhausted from the whole ordeal. Hugging Namjoo's waist tightly as she leaned onto her chest closely, she was able to find peace by hearing Namjoo's rhythmic heartbeat.

"In the end, you're still a big baby." cooed Namjoo, gently ruffling Hayoung's hair as she felt her warm embrace.

[Two hours ago]

"Hayoung, NO!" yelled Namjoo.

In that split second before Hayoung pulled the trigger, the girl pushed her hand away. As the gun fired, the bullet flew into upwards and penetrated a hole in the roof.

"You need to calm down!" Namjoo immediately snatched and tossed Hayoung's gun into a far corner, her hands quickly grabbing hold of her collar as she looked intently. "If you kill yourself now, you're a coward."

Her words hurt. But it was the truth.

A suicidal death meant that she was running away from her own problems. Afraid of the world and scared of facing them. Hayoung's mind was in a blur, there were just too many things going on. Her betrayal from LLNK, her sudden memories of her past and the love of her life right in front of her eyes, how was she able to cope with everything?

Maybe she was just tired. Maybe she needed time to sort everything out.

She had been keeping all of the problems to herself and never asked for help.

She needed someone to pull her out from the dark.

"You brought me here for a reason. Are you going to just dump everything you've worked so hard and leave the world? Don't you want to meet the unnies again?" asked Namjoo in a series of questions, but in a calm manner.

Knowing Hayoung since childhood, she had a knack of dealing with her. This was not the first time Hayoung has resorted to such a reckless, stupid decision.

And with experience, Namjoo knew just what to do.

"I.......But........They......" Hayoung's words were all jumbled up. Her mind and body were not in sync.

"You need to rest." Namjoo cupped her hands onto her cheeks. "Sleep. Then only, you will find peace." As she was able to get a closer view of Hayoung, Namjoo noticed her deep, eye bags and dry lips. They were all evidence of fatigue and stress.

"I-I can't sleep. What if someone finds our hideout then who is going to protect-"

"I did not go to police school to be protected." said Namjoo. "I went there to protect others."

Not wanting to hear anymore excuses from the girl, Namjoo forced Hayoung to lie down onto the mattress. She could understand that it would near impossible to sleep in a situation like this. With fear that anyone could come knocking the door, how could one sleep in peace?

There was only one way.

Singing.

♪

I'll become a good person

I'll become a person who thinks of others first

I'll protect my mom's hopes of love

I'm thinking of my mom who shared my dreams and cut my hair

Girl's Generation, Dear Mom

♪

It brought back memories as Namjoo was reminded how used to sing lullabies to Hayoung. The girl always had trouble sleeping in the dark. For many years, she would think up of a list of songs that Hayoung would want to hear each night. It was fun in a way. After all, she loved being in her embrace. It was warm, comforting and just wonderful to be in.

The same technique worked.

Within a couple of minutes, Hayoung's heart began to calm, her fatigue slowly taking over as she slowly drifted into dreamland, knowing that she was safe in Namjoo's arms. Cradled like a baby who needed love, Hayoung was already snoozing away. Unconsciously, Namjoo found herself smiling.

Perhaps, some things never change.

Cuddling together on the mattress and knowing that it was not a wise decision to move anywhere with Hayoung clinging onto her, Namjoo decided to stare at the roof, often flashing shadows of birds and other wildlife flying outside. It was a sense of peace. A of serendipity that had casted onto her.

[Present time]

Able to organise her thoughts, Namjoo knew what was the next plan. She had to report this immediately to her superior, Solar. Although it was a difficult decision to make, but the girl planned to have Hayoung turn herself in. After all, she is part of 96 that is a notorious group known for hacking into organisations and stealing their money.

But that is just the beginning of her plan.

She wanted to explain everything about LLNK, how they had strong connections with the incident 5 years ago and how Hayoung holds an important key to solving the case.

She believed that by persuading her superiors, Hayoung wouldn't have to face a penalty or be jailed for her crimes.

This was all hopeful wishing, there was still a high chance that it could go wrong. But there was no other choice.

In a situation like this, there was no way that she could stay out in this secluded place with Hayoung forever.

They needed help.

Suddenly, Namjoo could hear something in a far distance.

A car was headed their way.

Quickly, the girl got up and peeked at the only, small window in the treehouse. A police car.

But one should never trust its outer appearance. For all you could know, they could be LLNK's men who hijacked the car.

"Hayoung-ah. Wake up. We've got company." said Namjoo in a gentle tone, carefully shaking the girl awake.

"." cursed Hayoung as she bolted awake from the mattress. Her cute, baby image earlier disappeared in an instant.

"Here." said Namjoo as she handed Hayoung's "confiscated" gun as she loaded hers.

"Get ready." whispered Hayoung as the two leaned against the wall, hearing the car wheel screech followed by footsteps climbing up the wooden staircase. It was getting louder and louder.

With their guns clicked, the girls exchanged glances with each other.

They were prepared, even if this could mean the last time.

As soon as the door opened, Hayoung and Namjoo immediately pointed their guns directly, ready to pull the trigger.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on there. You can’t just kill me okay?" said Yerin, raising her hands up. Behind her were the rest of the gang, Joy, Chorong, Irene and Solar.

Despite seeing familiar faces, there was only one person that stood out the most among the five of them. One that caused Namjoo to well up in tears and one that had Hayoung stiff like a statue.

"Chorong...unnie...?" Hayoung said in a slur of words, stunned.

"You guys...are going to get a whole earful from me later...." said Chorong jokingly, with a smile, relieved to finally reunite with her friends.

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