After her talk with Mrs. Minatozaki that night, Dahyun’s resolve strengthened. Yesterday’s events and her confrontation with Sana, proved she couldn’t take it easy on the young heiress anymore.

No. She’s tried asking politely and playing nice but evidently it wasn’t going to be very effective.

Armed with a large quantity of coffee, her laptop and her phone, Dahyun had spent the entire night compiling all the leads she has and reading through the background checks made by the academy’s headmaster and her team.

She’s also made necessary calls to help with Sana’s security detail. Dahyun wasn’t going to go at this with a half-baked plan. She’s going to protect Sana and she’s going to do it in her own terms and in full force.

The captain glanced at the digital clock placed beside her bed and yawns. She could still squeeze in a couple of hours of sleep and decides she can allow herself this much rest tonight.

After all, she’s about to bring in the cavalry.

The next morning, Sana wakes up to a pounding headache.

Drinking on a school night was definitely a terrible idea. She tries to get up but finds herself unable to, especially when Momo has so conveniently draped herself cozily on Sana’s torso.

“Get up, loser. We’re gonna be late for school.” Sana grunts, trying to push Momo off of her. The latter groans in response and continues to lie down like a lifeless body on top of her.

The heiress would have found it adorable had she not been nursing a terrible headache. So she musters all the strength that she could, even using her legs to push Momo off of her completely.

Momo does finally roll over to the other side of the bed, only to return to dreamland.

She sits up on her bed, trying to recollect the events of the previous night and frowns at the thought of her mother almost catching them being in places and doing things they weren’t supposed to be.

Not that she wasn’t used to it; Sana was always good with brushing things off. Or just being a complete jerk.

But last night was different. Sana had found herself tongue-tied, not to mention embarrassed after Captain Kim had covered up for them and had spoken to her mother afterwards.

It was an understatement to say that Sana was curious about what they had spoken about. Knowing her mother and her amazing bull meter, Sana was somehow worried she’d gotten Dahyun in trouble when she helped them out.

It’s not like she was going to actually thank her for that, is she? She barged in her room and Sana’s not going to forgive her for that easily.

Instead, Sana settles on pretending to not care about it or at least tucks it away at the back of her mind for now and proceeds on waking up Momo again.

---

“Have I told you how much I hate you?” Momo groans, plopping down on a chair across Sana at the dining table. Sana takes a sip of her orange juice before rolling her eyes at Momo who has begun prodding her breakfast with her fork, lethargically.

“You have. For the nth time since you landed your on the floor.” Sana teases.

“I didn’t do it on purpose. You pushed me off the bed, you squirrel-toothed meanie!”

“Only because you wouldn’t get the hell up.” Sana counters, rendering Momo silent.

They’d stayed quiet for a few more moments before Momo speaks up again.

 “Uhh, where’s Captain Cutie?”

Sana rolls her eyes at Momo for the second time and for the annoying nickname she’s bestowed on Captain e and simply shrugs in response to the question.

“I believe she has left this morning.” Aunt Chun answers Momo, placing a stack of pancakes in front of her.

Momo gapes at the old maid, then turns to look at Sana who tried her best to not look interested at the new information.

“Where did she go, Aunt Chun?” Momo asks nervously, her breakfast long forgotten.

“I am not really sure, young miss. She’d left without a word. I wasn’t even able to see her off and I had only found out from one of the other maids.” Aunt Chun responds, leaving out a few details of Dahyun’s disappearance.

“What?! Is she gone for good? Oh my god, did Auntie fire her?” Momo’s barrage of questions made the old woman suppress a smile.

This makes Sana scoff. That was a new record for her.

Just one day and she’s managed to drive the young captain away. Honestly, she didn’t know what to feel and it makes her agitated. Usually, she’d treat this as a personal victory but this time, she wasn’t even sure if this was any sort of a win for her.

It should be, right? She’d wanted Dahyun to ‘get the hell away’ from her, as she not-so-delicately put last night and now that she’s actually gone, Sana felt somehow betrayed.

“I’m keeping you safe, my .” Sana mutters under her breath. She doesn’t admit it but after Dahyun’s declaration of protection last night, she’d slightly hoped she’ll actually pull through with it. But seeing as she’s already fled without a word, Sana was undeniably disappointed.

If Momo was grumpy from being kicked out of bed, now she’s gotten sulkier and evidently sad as well. She was just starting to get to know Dahyun and she knows for a fact the she has a budding attraction towards her.

Momo couldn’t really explain it. There was just something about the young captain and the way she carries herself that makes Momo feel like she’ll always be safe around her. And Momo wasn’t exactly ready to let go of that yet.

The rest of the morning had been uneventful as both girls finished their breakfasts and left for school. Sana’s mood had been awful and whenever friends asked, she’d blame it on her hangover. Even Momo, who had always been chirpy and bouncy in the morning had been relatively quiet and pouty throughout the day.

Sana found herself doodling randomly on her notebook during their last period. Their teacher had been called by the headmaster, leaving their class to their own devices when she hears someone calling her name. She looks up and finds a worried-looking Mina standing in front of her.

“Hey, I tried calling you yesterday but your phone was off?” Mina lets herself sit on the vacant chair in front of Sana. The latter just looks at her, still visibly pissed for yesterday’s events.

Myoui Mina, always the nice and perfect girl that everyone wants to be friends with. Elegantly beautiful, smart and talented. Had she not been annoying as hell, Sana would’ve been actual friends with the girl. She did try though, until she snatched the captain spot right under Sana’s nose and kept changing her routines.

“I was worried.” Mina lets out. “Your new bodyguard, she looked for you and you were gone and I didn’t-” Sana cuts off Mina by holding out her hand in front of her, signaling for her to stop talking. She lets out a breath then leans forward, resting her elbows on her desk.

Mina was already used to Sana’s attitude that she simply waits for her to say something even if she’s fully aware it wasn’t going to be nice.

“Look here, Myoui.” Sana starts, her eyes boring into Mina’s. “Don’t you think for a second that you can just come up to me and pretend to be all concerned because we all know that you aren’t.” Mina tries to keep her composure, keeping her face as neutral as she can.

“And whatever happens to me is really none of your business and I couldn’t care less what you think, so please, off while I’m still asking nicely.” A fake smile graces Sana’s lips before getting up from her seat, leaving Mina speechless in her place.

After a few moments of staring at where Sana previously sat, she gets up from her seat as well and heads out of the classroom in a haste, passing by Sana who was now sitting on top of Momo’s desk and chatting with the brunette.

Mina arrives inside the bathroom, peeking inside each stall to make sure she’s alone before she lets it out. Tears slowly forming as she looks at herself on the mirror, her grip on the sink turning her knuckles white as snow. She stares at her reflection, mocking herself for letting things get to this point.

“Stupid, stupid Mina. Out of all people…” She whispers repeatedly, wiping the tears from her cheeks and her eyes. She opens the tap and splashes her face with the cold water, hoping it would somehow wake her out of her madness.

“Minatozaki Sana… Why did it have to be you?”

Incheon Airport

Dahyun had been waiting for a couple of hours now and is on her third cup of coffee for that day. She can already hear Nayeon scolding her about her obsession with the bitter-tasting liquid and it makes her miss her cousin more.

She looks at her wristwatch and yawns the sleep away. They should be here right about now and as if on cue, a voice sounds over the entire airport, announcing the arrival of the plane she’s been waiting for and heads to the terminal announced.

Dahyun stands in front of the terminal’s exit and cranes her neck to look past the outflow of people to find her target.

“Yo, Dubu!” Dahyun whips her head to find the source of the call and sees Chaeyoung jogging towards her, a duffle bag larger than her in tow. Dahyun breaks into a wide grin as she walks to meet the younger girl and seeing the rest of her team walking right behind her.

Chaeyoung immediately jumps to hug Dahyun tightly, letting go of her gigantic duffle bag carelessly in the process. Jeongyeon reaches Dahyun next, taking off her aviators and tucking it inside her leather jacket’s inside pocket before hugging her team leader as well.

While SinB and Tzuyu walked side by side, pulling along their luggage and both giving Dahyun a side-hug.

“God, I’m so glad you guys are here.” Dahyun breathes out in relief. It’s only been two days since she arrived in Seoul, yet it felt like she’s been away from her friends for a week already. “I know it’s such short notice and you guys probably haven’t slept properly yet…”

“We’re glad to see you too, Dubu.” SinB says, resting her arm over Dahyun’s shoulders as a way to assure her that they’re all perfectly fine with this.

Dahyun smiles in relief and moves to grab Chaeyoung’s oversized duffle bag. She heaves at the weight and couldn’t understand how the tiny girl was able to carry the thing, making the younger girl chuckle at her attempt.

“You’re not carrying a dead body in there, are you?” Dahyun raises an eyebrow at the chuckling Chaeyoung who grabs her duffle bag again and flings it over her shoulder easily.

“Of course not, you think security would let me out?” the short girl grins. “No, it’s just some things I’ll need for this mission.” Dahyun nods in understanding and proceeds on leading her team out of the airport and into a van she had rented for the day. There was no way she was gonna drive these rambunctious bunch around in a luxury car.

After everyone had settled their bags and luggage in the back of the van, they all took their places in the passenger seats with Dahyun taking the wheel.

“So, what’s the plan?” SinB inquires, adjusting in her seat between Tzuyu and Chaeyoung. Dahyun smirks at her friend’s inquiry, glancing beside Jeongyeon who sat beside her in front of the van.

“I don’t like that look.” Jeongyeon narrows her eyes at Dahyun and points at her team leader’s face. “That look right there says you’re scheming. And I’m not sure if I should be scared or what.”

“Yeah, the last time you had that look, Tzuyu and I had to go camp out in that cramped up van for a week.” Chaeyoung huffs, making Tzuyu scoff at her friend.

“Well don’t make it sound like it’s a bad thing being stuck with me. You’re not exactly the most pleasing person to be in a confined space with.”

Dahyun suppresses as smile. She definitely missed them and that also includes their youngests’ constant bickering.

“Alright, everybody chill. You’ll know once we get to the place.” Dahyun smiles at them through her rear view mirror and continues to drive them to their destination, stories and bantering continuing on the entire way.

---

An apartment, somewhere in Seoul

“HELL NO.” Chaeyoung deadpans.

“Nope. Nuh-uh. I’m not doing it. Over my cold, dead body.” Dahyun sighs at Chaeyoung who immediately drops the article of clothing Dahyun handed to her.

“Oh, come on Chaeng! Don’t you think you’re being a tad bit overdramatic?” Jeongyeon grumps. “Besides, I think you’ll look great in it!” Jeongyeon urges the younger girl who has already slumped herself down on the couch.

Getting no sort of reply from Chaeyoung, Dahyun p