Death was knocking on her door.

 

In the midst of a stormy night, wind blew viciously as trees struggled to stay onto their roots. Quickly getting out of the house as she used her arms to deflect against the powerful force of mother nature, she dashed into the car. Time was ticking and she knew that there was no way she was going to get out of there alive. But she needed them to know, no matter what.

 

It was important.

 

Stepping her foot onto the accelerator, she sped through the slippery road in hopes of returning to her team. But all it took was one spark and, boom. The car she was driving exploded, somersaulting into the air before crashing onto the ground in flames.

 

But in a quiet, empty neighbourhood, no one would come to her rescue. As rain continued to pour following a loud thunder bolt, her blood soaked the puddle in a dark red tint. Still breathing as she could feel every weight of the car crushing her body, she used her remaining strength to press the “send” button on her phone screen.

 

“A191625”  

 

With the message sent successfully to a contact whose name was simply saved as “Unnie”, she closed her eyes and smiled. Knowing that her mission is now complete, she gave into her final breath and left the world.

 

 

---

 

 

At the funeral hall, members of The Secret Service gathered to pay their last respects for their comrade who passed. The officials simply regarded it as an accident but Eunji knew that it was all a lie. Placing the white flowers onto the altar and clasping her hands together, she was determined to avenge her.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

“It’s not fair.” Eunji mumbled as she got up from her knees and turned to the lady standing behind her.

 

“Death is common for us working in this field. You know that.”

 

“But still, I can’t accept the fact that Yookyung is gone just like that, Naeun. We were just chatting last week and now, that is going to be the last time I ever spoke to her.”

 

There was nothing she could say against that. Naeun was in no position to comfort her, because she too, was hurting inside.

 

The ceremony continued as the members took turns to say their final farewells. Yookyung was part of The Secret Service team in the Seoul department. Everyone knew that she was a hardworking, intelligent woman who always had the answer to cracking down cases. Her death was regarded as a major loss for The Secret Service.

 

But death is common.

 

It comes and goes. Sometimes, we will never know when we will die. That’s why it’s better to live life to the fullest so that we die with no regrets.

 

 

---

 

 

A few days after the funeral, the leader of the Seoul department bowed and greeted the chief of The Secret Service, Mr. Son. With years of experience, he remained a well-respected figure among everyone.

 

Taking a quick puff from his cigar, he placed a brown file onto his desk.

 

“These are the photographs and profile of the new recruit that will be joining your team. It is unfortunate that your member passed away in such a case, but we must continue the mission. And of course, every worthy agent must go through the test before they can be qualified to serve.”

 

“I understand, sir.”

 

“Good. Besides this little job, please update me on your team, Chorong. I am sure Yookyung’s death took an emotional turn but you must remember that they must not put their feelings first.”

 

“Besides a particular member, I believe that it will not pose any problems for our missions. I believe all regional teams are operating as normal.”

 

“You are correct. Well, I will give your team two days off from missions. In the meantime, focus on getting your new recruit and let that settle in. That is all, you are dismissed.”

 

“Very well, sir. Thank you.” Chorong bowed as she took the file and left the office.

 

As she entered a taxi that would take her back to her team’s headquarters, she took the time to read through the profile that was thick with loads of information, properly organized by white-collar workers who played their part.

 

“Yoon Bomi.” She hummed, looking at the lady’s testimonial. The leader wasn’t surprised as all of her members came from different backgrounds and had different stories to tell.

 

In this case, Bomi is the daughter of a former Secret Service agent who retired long ago. Inheriting her father’s blood, she had an excellent record of taekwondo and martial arts. The only problem was, Bomi was your typical rebel who was one to live freely and never abide by the law. She had a couple of simple criminal records such as jaywalking, vandalism and breaking curfew hours as a teenager. At least, it wasn’t as bad as shoplifting or murdering someone.

 

Chorong sighed, knowing that her members would not be happy that someone would be replacing Yookyung immediately after the events of her death. The leader had to prepare herself, knowing that if she were to break down now, it would be an insult to her team. She needed to stay strong for everyone’s sake.

 

---

 

“Are you kidding me?!” Eunji yelled, slamming the file onto the table. “It hasn’t even been a week since Yookyung’s death and you are replacing her already? Is she just some kind of product that is forgotten like that despite everything she has done?!”

 

“It’s not my choice. Mr. Son ordered me to do it.” Chorong insisted, sighing as it was exactly as what she had imagined. It had to be Eunji. The agent who was literally good at everything except for one, her serious anger-management issues.

 

“Ordered. Really? Okay so, if Mr. Son ordered you to kill yourself, would you do it?”

 

“Eunji!”

 

“Stop it!” Naeun interrupted the two. “Fighting won’t get us anywhere.”

 

Eunji glared at Naeun and went silent. She had to take her fury somewhere else. Leaving the room as she slammed the door behind, the hot-headed agent headed to the gym located at the basement of the Seoul headquarters building.

 

“Who’s gonna bet she’s doing some boxing to release all that fire?” Hayoung asked, as her eyes were focused on the laptop, fingers tapping away. “Anyways, I’m cool with the whole new recruit thing. Who knows, she might be the one to finally shut the hell out of Eunji unnie.”

 

“Hey, watch your words.” Namjoo said with a frown, nudging Hayoung. “Either way, I kinda knew this was going to happen after I saw Mr. Son at the funeral. It’s not like we can say no or anything right?” She sighed, afraid to anger her leader any further.

 

“Do you need my help to find the new recruit?” Naeun asked.

 

“It’s okay. I’ll do it myself. Boss said to give you guys two days leave to clear your heads. Please inform that hot-headed agent of ours too. That’s all, I’m leaving.” Chorong said, as she took the file that Eunji slammed on her table earlier and left the room.

 

Silence followed after. The three agents exchanged glances at each other. But with one look, it could tell everything that they were feeling. They were unsure if they could accept and welcome the new recruit with open arms after the loss of their own.

 

---

 

 

At the basement of the Seoul headquarters building, only the sounds of Eunji punching against the sandbag could be heard. All alone, she needed a place to clear her thoughts while sending all of her anger to that unfortunate bag. She punched and punched, furious yet frustrated that there was nothing she could do.

 

Ultimately, the new recruit will replace Yookyung and she was afraid that the memories of her would disappear. She wanted to avenge her. She wanted to find who killed her. Eunji knew that it was not a car accident and was confident that someone set up a bomb underneath the vehicle.

 

“How long are you going to keep punching that poor bag?” Naeun asked, watching her.

 

“Until I don’t feel angry.”

 

“Yeah, then you’ll punch until dawn arrives.” Naeun scoffed as she tossed a towel for Eunji who was drenched in sweat. “Let’s go eat dinner. Chorong said that we have a two-day leave to clear our mind. But I think that’s mostly meant for you.”

 

“Well, she already knows how hot-headed I am all the time. Would be bad if I spotted any guys coming to you and giving stupid love confessions,” Eunji smiled, intertwining her fingers with Naeun. The little warmth was all she needed to cool down.

 

“Go and take a shower. You stink.” Naeun smiled. “I’ll be waiting for you outside.”

 

“Let’s go to our favourite bar.”

 

“Just don’t get too drunk.”

 

For the two of them, Yookyung was a special friend.

 

In the Secret Service, it was clear that dating is forbidden. But, love comes naturally and there is no stopping once you fall deep. Eunji and Naeun were just your kind of typical co-worker love story. After working together, they began to blossom and did their best to date in secret. But one day, they were caught by Yookyung.

 

However, Yookyung promised to keep it a secret and in fact, supported the couple. She was always helping the couple out, ensuring that they wouldn’t get caught and would even go out of her way to take charge of their missions so the two could have a private date. Yookyung was that kind friend and the couple were thankful for her actions.

 

“I don’t care.” Eunji said as she took a sip from her mug of beer. “I’m going to use these two days to find the culprit behind this.”

 

“Don’t do this, please.” Naeun begged, holding on her girlfriend’s hands tightly. “Why can’t you just move on? Why risk your life for that?”

 

“I can’t.” Eunji tightened the grip on her beer mug. “I just can’t sit still, knowing that she was killed on a mission. Yookyung is always careful of her surroundings. She would not make careless mistakes like this…unless someone is targeting her.” She leaned forward and planted a quick peck onto Naeun’s lips. “I won’t be long.”

 

“Promise me that you’ll return in one piece.”

 

“I never die.” Eunji smiled confidently. “And please don’t tell anyone. This is my own personal mission.”

 

---

 

 

“It’s past 12am. Aren’t you going home, Hayoung?” Namjoo asked as she peeked inside the laboratory. Besides the gym, the headquarters was also equipped with it’s own special lab to create weaponry for the members. Inside, there were displays of all sorts of weapons and gadgets that the team would use on missions. Besides the usual kind of guns and firearms, there were also strange weapons that had to be designed and disguised discreetly. The most notable one, was the poison pen. A weapon that proved useful in almost all sorts of situations.

 

And the one who designed it, is Hayoung.

 

“Yeah, soon. I just wanted to make a few more changes to the software.” The girl said, adjusting her glasses and she began typing onto her laptop. “Why don’t you go home first?”

 

“Well, I wanted to check on you.” Namjoo said quietly as she noticed that Hayoung stopped her movements. “No one’s here except me, Hayoung. It’s okay now.”

 

Hayoung placed her tools onto her desk and sat down. She took out her glasses and wiped her tears with her sleeves. She could finally cry.

 

“There, there.” Namjoo embraced the girl, cooing her like a baby.

 

“I’m sorry, I just- “

 

“I know.”

 

“I’ve been holding in because I was scared. Plus, agents like us shouldn’t cry, right? We live in a life where we kill people. I make weapons that kill them. Isn’t it ironic that now we are mourning in sorrow of our own?” The girl sobbed. But she felt safe in Namjoo’s embrace. She wanted to be in there forever.

 

“That’s just how life is, Hayoung. We just have to it up y’know?”

 

Namjoo then pointed at a strange eraser on the desk. “Is this a new one?” She asked, wanting to change topic in hopes that it would make Hayoung feel better.

 

“Yeah. It’s actually a grenade so don’t pick it up. You might press something and we will all die.”

 

“Oh.” The lady raised her eyebrows. “I think it’s amazing how you don’t die while making these dangerous weapons.”

 

“Please, I’ve been making these my whole life.”

 

“Anyways, good job. It’s no doubt that you are The Secret Service’s best firearms expert”

 

“I’m not really…” Hayoung blushed, feeling embarrassed at Namjoo’s compliments.

 

Namjoo laughed and casually pushed the girl. “There you go again. Come on, it’s getting late. Let’s go home.”

 

“But I want to finish this- “

 

“And pull another all-nighter again? There’s no way I’m letting you do that!”

 

“But-!”

 

To no avail, Hayoung was forced to leave her laboratory and headed home. But at times like these, she was thankful. She was grateful that Namjoo is always taking care of her.

 

 

---

 

 

A new day has arrived in Seoul.

 

Greeting the afternoon hours is the rain. Lightly drizzling along the streets as people rush to work after lunch, Chorong scanned the streets and followed the GPS on her phone. She arrived at the entrance of a quaint café tucked far from the crowd. Placing her umbrella down and sitting at a place in the far corner, the leader quietly observed the new recruit who happens to be the waitress who works there.

 

“Hello miss, what would you like to order?” Bomi asked, her pen and paper ready. Her appearance was tomboyish, she wore jeans, a red flannel, sneakers and the café’s apron over her torso. Her hair was tied into a bun and her most distinctive feature was the mole under her left eye.

 

“Just coffee please.”

 

“What kind? Americano? Latte?”

 

“Hot Americano please.”

 

“Alright, anything else?”

 

“No.”

 

“Okay, we’ll have your drink right up.”

 

For the whole time, Chorong sat there and observed Bomi. Her little actions, expressions and the way she talked, all had a certain meaning. It expressed her kind of personality and as the leader, Chorong was determining if Bomi was a good fit as a Secret Service agent. In fact, she was wondering how to recruit her. After all, the whole idea of joining the Secret Service can be a little overwhelming especially if Bomi’s father never told her about his job.

 

But it seems that there was nothing to worry about.

 

“I want a refund!” A man yelled as he stood up, furious.

 

“Look, it isn’t our fault. The insect just happened to fly into your drink and well, that’s how it is. We can get you a new one if you want, sir- “

 

“Yeah, get a new one for me.” The man said as he casually tipped his elbow and caused the cup to fall onto Bomi, soaking her flannel.

 

“Hah, this little er- “

 

“What did you just say?!”

 

“Oh, nothing.” Bomi smiled calmly. “I suddenly remembered something that made me angry. Don’t worry, I wasn’t talking about you.”

 

“You certainly were, young lady. Do you even know who you are messing with?” The man got up and looked down on the waitress. The tattoos on his arm were now clearly visible as it had marks of a dragon.

 

“Fight me.”

 

“What?”

 

“I said,” Bomi rolled up her sleeves. “Fight me.” Her fists were raised up and clenched.

 

“Hah! And what can a small lady like you do- “

 

Immediately, Bomi threw a punch directly at his face, causing the man to stagger backwards.

 

“That.” The lady smirked.

 

“Boss!” The men around the table stood up and surrounded the waitress.

 

“Come on, I ain’t got all day!” Bomi yelled as she began the fight. She dodged left and right from the heavy punches of the large men, before sending elbow jabs and twisting their arms around. She was indeed agile, but she was overconfident. And that became her weakness.

 

“Take this!” A man yelled, grabbing one of the mugs at the counter and throwing directly at the girl.

 

But before it could hit her, an umbrella suddenly shot open and defended the attack.

 

“Whoa, what kind of umbrella is that?” Bomi asked, looking at Chorong with amusement. The umbrella was completely unharmed and strangely, the mug was broken into pieces.

 

The leader couldn’t stand watching anymore as she just couldn’t bother wasting anymore time.

 

“I can tell you all about that later. But first, watch and learn.”

 

“What?”

 

Chorong walked slowly as she pointed her umbrella towards the direction of the men. Surprised that everything they threw were being reflected by the strange umbrella, they let their guards down. With that, the leader took the opportunity. She surprised the men with a powerful yet quick kick-turn and jabbed the back of the umbrella straight onto their groins. They groaned in pain, paralyzed on the floor.

 

Immediately, the fight was over.

 

Bomi watched in amazement at the woman who remained untouched. She coolly took down 4 men with a mere umbrella unlike her, who had to fist-fight and sustain small injuries here and there.

 

“Whoa…”

 

Chorong then placed money on the counter. “I’ll pay for all the damages caused.” She turned to look at Bomi. “Let’s get going before these men regain their consciousness.”

 

“But, to where?” Bomi asked.

 

The leader smiled, noticing the sparkle of intrigue in the girl’s eyes.

 

“To the Secret Service.”

 

---

A/N: Brownie points for anyone who is able to decipher Yookyung's last message ^^