Bomi felt skeptical as she stood in front of a seemingly harmless flower shop. She was not convinced that a lady who handled four men actually tended flowers for a living.

 

“What are you standing there for? Come on in.” Chorong said, opening the door for her.

 

The girl followed in, greeted with the fresh floral scent of roses and sunflowers. But her eyes turned to the counter, where a brown file was placed as Chorong took and gave it to her.

 

“Yoon Bomi.”

 

Chorong said as she looked into her eyes.

 

 “A high school drop out. But you earned medals for Taekwondo competitions all over Seoul. You were given an opportunity to train as a national athlete but you refused the often to help your mother who ran a supermarket.” The leader recited as she memorized it all in her head.

 

“W-What’s all this?”

 

“Your profile. We have been scouting you for awhile and the team has agreed that you are the perfect match to join The Secret Service.”

 

“Uh huh.” Bomi was unamused.

 

She was used to getting conned. The girl explored the flower shop as her eyes landed on a suspicious stalk of a purple rose, something out of this world. Just as she was about to touch it out of curiousity, Chorong stepped in.

 

“I would advise you not to touch that. It is made out of microfiber, press the wrong button and electric shock magnetic waves will paralyze your body.”

 

“The hell?”

 

“It appears you have a short attention span so I’ll be quick. You can either choose to join The Secret Service with the exception that you must behave like one or,” She stepped closer to Bomi, staring into her eyes with all seriousness. “You can walk out of this shop, pretending that nothing ever happened. It’s your choice.” Chorong explained, putting the stalk away. She didn’t want to waste any time.

 

After all, she had other important matters to deal with. Recruiting a new member for her team, was simply an errand.

 

“But why me? All of a sudden, you just come looking for me? I am pretty sure people in The Secret Service had some sort of connection or something- “

 

Bomi caught hold of a golden coin that Chorong tossed at her. She took a closer look and flipped it around. Carved were the initials of her father, a former Secret Service agent and the date of his enlistment.

 

“Dad?”

 

“It is simple. Your father used to work in The Secret Service therefore, it is not an obvious question that you are a suitable candidate after considering your testimonial records.”

 

“I see.” Bomi smirked.

 

From young, the girl was simply told that her father died in a car accident and grew up believing that lie. But everything seemed to make sense now. The fact how her mother pushed her to take part in Taekwondo and constantly commented that Bomi looked like her father in certain angles. It all made sense now.

 

With an opportunity right in front of her, Bomi thought it was fate. She was always one who hated the slow, boring life of hers. She grew up getting into fights at school. Deciding to drop out to help out at her mother’s supermarket and do other odd jobs, Bomi yearned for adventure and fun.

 

“What’s your name miss? You look like the leader.”

 

“It’s Chorong. You can call me unnie, if you are comfortable.”

 

“So Chorong unnie, what’s the life of a Secret Service agent like?” Bomi asked, with an excited smile as she sat down, fiddling with the coin and tapping her feet.

 

“Well.” The leader crossed her arms. “I believe you will find the answer once you head to the training camp.”

 

“Oh boy, training camp. I love challenges.”

 

“Then, that’s great. This is the address. Your fate as a Secret Service agent will be decided by then.” Chorong said as she handed a small rolled piece of paper to Bomi to which the girl gladly accepted.

 

“Will I see you again?”

 

“If you pass the test.”

 

“Great. Cause I think I want to see you more.” Bomi grinned as she was on her way to leave the shop. “You were really cool earlier, just saying.”

 

Chorong scoffed, as if it was something she wasn’t expecting from the recruit.

 

“See you around, Chorong unnie.”

 

 

---

 

 

Back at the headquarters, Chorong sat in the office as she looked through a file that contained the mission that Yookyung was assigned to. Although she and her team were given a two days leave, the leader continued to work busily. She sent a message to the group chat informing her team of Bomi’s admission. But as expected, everyone replied except one person.

 

It was none other than her team’s troublemaker, Eunji.

 

Eunji always gave Chorong lots of headaches, especially in team missions. The two had large differences when it came to strategy and planning. She was ready to risk her lives in the most dangerous ways possible.

 

A beep from her phone broke the thoughts from her mind. It was a message from Naeun.

 

“Unnie, I know you’re going to be mad but Eunji decided to take over Yookyung’s mission and find her murderer. She’s going to avenge her and I couldn’t stop her. I’m sorry. I’m just worried that something might happen and you are the only one who can stop her.”

 

Chorong breathed a sigh, steaming exiting her nostrils like flames of an angry dragon ready to explode.

 

She knew this would happen. Or rather, it was her natural instinct to reach out for Yookyung’s mission profile because she had an odd hunch that she would need it somehow.

 

This wasn’t the first time Eunji did this.

 

There were many times the leader of the Seoul department had to clean after her troublesome member who refused to listen and do things, her way. But perhaps, that was their own way of forging their bond. A love-hate relationship, as what most people call it.

 

“It’s okay. I will handle it. Thank you for telling me Naeun. Enjoy your break.”

 

“I won’t be enjoying my break. My father asked me to help out at the training facility. I hate him…”

 

“Haha, good luck. Looks like you’re going to meet Bomi very soon then.”

 

After sending the text, Chorong went straight to tracking down Eunji based on the details of the mission. It didn’t take long before she found an answer.

 

“Yakutsk, Russia. Guess we’re going there.” Chorong sighed once again, getting ready to pack her bags as she dialed a representative to prepare her a flight ticket on the spot. These were the benefits of being in the Secret Service.

 

 

---

 

 

It took Bomi a long way to get to the training camp. What started as a simple visit to the parliament building, the girl was suddenly escorted onto a truck where she travelled deep into the countryside, arriving into the training facility of The Secret Service.

 

“You must be Yoon Bomi.”

 

“Y-Yeah…” The girl stuttered at the beautiful lady in front of her. She was like a walking painting. Bomi had no idea a woman like her could look good by wearing such a dull-looking uniform.

 

“Pleasure to meet you. My name is Son Naeun and I will be one of your facilitators for your training. Please follow me as you will meet other new recruits.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Bomi grabbed her bags as she followed, her eyes looking around the facility where there were helicopters and small planes parked at the large foyer. She could see soldiers marching about and heavy weapon crates scattered all over. Her heart raced with excitement. Bomi couldn’t wait to start her training.

 

“This is where you will be spending for the rest of the week. Be nice to your other recruits as you will be working together. I will be back later to inform you further on your training.” Naeun said, leaving as the door closed behind.

 

“Oh, hey there! You must be the last one! The bed over there is yours.” Amber greeted cheerfully. She donned a buzz cut and had tattoos on both of her arms.

 

“I’m Nana. Guess we’ll be partners from now on.” The lady with a long, blonde ponytail said. She looked like a cat, dressed in full black and had a rather calm demeanor.

 

“Call me Baekho.” The man greeted coolly as he lounged on his double-decker bed, eyes focused on a car magazine.

 

“Name’s Matthew! People just call me B.M” Another man greeted as he had a striking blonde colour to his hair.

 

“Taeyong. Pleasure to meet you.” The other man in the room greeted. He had piercings on his ears and nose.

 

“Nice to meet everyone. My name’s Bomi!” The girl greeted as she got time to know her members.

 

It didn’t take long before everyone got comfortable with each other. It was probably because they all had similar interests and yearned for adventure. While Bomi was randomly recruited into the Secret Service, others trained really hard to get this far. But Bomi didn’t want to be compared as someone who had a privilege just because her father was an agent. In fact, she respected her members who worked with determination towards their dreams.

 

During the briefing, Naeun informed them there will be a series of tests that they will have to undergo. Many fail, but the lady reminded them that they were a “team” and not an “individual”. She emphasized it strongly, hoping that they listened as it would play much importance.

 

The new recruits were later given free time to explore the facility, eat and do whatever they want before the training tomorrow. Everyone settled back into their beds as they dreamt of becoming a Secret Service agent. They thought that everything would go smoothly.

 

But in the Secret Service, everything comes spontaneously and unexpectedly.

 

“Wake up Bomi!”

 

Rubbing her eyes, the girl groaned and asked what’s going on. But she did not need an answer. She woke up to the room being flooded by water gushing through the ceiling.

 

“Whoa, what the heck?!”

 

“The door’s stuck. It won’t budge!” Baekho said after failing to open it with his strength.

 

“We have to find another way.” Taeyong said anxiously as he looked around.

 

But time is ticking. The water was slowly reaching their chests. They had to get out of the room fast, otherwise they will drown.

 

“Teamwork!” Amber reminded them. “Remember what Naeun said, this is part of the test!”

 

“Well genius, of course. Why don’t you use that smart brain of yours to find us an escape route?” Nana scoffed as she tried looking under the beds.

 

Amber rolled her eyes as she analyzed the door, wondering if there was an opening. The water was now reaching their necks. They were running out of time.

 

“What about that hatch over there?!” Bomi shouted, pointing at the small ventilator at the far corner of the room.

 

“That thing is small as hell.” Baekho said, wondering how he would squeeze in.

 

“Won’t know till we try. Come on! I’ll need your help.” Bomi dived in, paddling her feet towards the grill as she tried to pull it apart.

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

Snow poured heavily along the mountains of Yakutsk. Camping in a small cave she found, Eunji sat in front of a fire as she warmed herself up. Her cheeks were flushing red; she was exhausted and freezing cold. Perhaps it was better if she checked the weather before coming.

 

“Yookyung-ah, just wait a little bit longer. I will avenge you soon. Don’t worry.” She mumbled to herself as she took out her binoculars, watching men carrying crates into the warehouse.

 

According to Yookyung’s last mission file, she was supposed to track down a weapons dealer who had connections with the Russian force, with plans of a terrorist attack. Tracing down the remaining clues, it didn’t take long to find their base where weapons were being deported. She was confident that she was on the right track. With that, she sheltered nearby and planned out a route to execute the invasion alone.

 

“So the patrol only ends until there, meaning I can take shelter from here and then, bang. Hah, easier said as done.”

 

The hot-headed agent was planning out various scenarios in her head, determining the best option. But with all the fatigue, she eventually succumbed to sleep.

 

Several hours passed and Eunji couldn’t help but to notice the sudden warmth she was feeling. There was blanket over her and quickly, the agent took out a revolver attached from her belt, pointing at her “enemy”.

 

“It’s you huh?” Eunji sighed as she put her gun down.

 

“You can’t run away Eunji.” Chorong said as she was sitting in front of the fire. Dressed in a thick fur coat, boots and equipped with a rifle, the leader certainly came prepared. “Revenge is not the way. Yookyung will not be happy.”

 

“Look, I am already this close to accomplishing the mission unnie! The warehouse is right there! I can just go straight down and kill all these men easily myself!”

 

“Yeah, sure.” The leader glared at her. “I counted. 15 men. You’re going to kill 15 men all by yourself?” Chorong said, in a sarcastic, unamused tone. “More like you’re going to get yourself killed.” She sighed, tossing another rifle she brought and a set of winter outfit towards Eunji.

 

“Unnie…” A smile formed on Eunji’s lips as she gripped tightly onto the rifle.

 

“Only this time.” Chorong stood up as she clicked the rifle, preparing for battle. “I don’t want to trouble myself finding another damned recruit when you die.”

 

Eunji chuckled, somewhat relieved that her leader didn’t stop her. “Let’s go make some noise shall we?”

 

 

---

 

 

 

“Wow, you’re spending these precious 2-day leave in the lab?” Namjoo asked, watching Hayoung as she had a serious expression all over her face.

 

The girl had planned on spending her break by eating at restaurants, going shopping and watching a movie. But strangely, she couldn’t help but to have a hunch of heading to the office. Turns out, Hayoung was there all alone, eyes all on the laptop.

 

“Yeah. It’s not like there’s anything else to do.” Hayoung mumbled as she turned to look at Namjoo. “Besides, Chorong unnie gave me a job so I had to say yes.”

 

“A191625?” Namjoo asked, squinting her eyes at the laptop screen.

 

“Yookyung sent this to Chorong unnie moments before her death. I believe it is important and the only person who can encrypt it, is me obviously.” The agent said with confidence as she adjusted her glasses.

 

“Look at you.” She scoffed. “Need any help?”

 

“Well, perhaps you can figure out what A means. I’ve tried coordinates but it doesn’t seem to fit right.”

 

“What about alphabet?”

 

“Alphabet!” Hayoung snapped her fingers as she suddenly jumped from her seat, grabbed a pen and paper as she started listing the alphabets down. She counted them and decoded the message.

 

“Did you get it?” Namjoo asked with a chuckle, amused at her excited friend who was like a kid.

 

“If we form the letters based on the numbered positions with 191625, it means…”

 

She paused. “SPY.”

 

The two looked at each other, eyes wide open. There was a strange ominous feeling about this.

 

“We have to tell Chorong unnie about this.” Namjoo said as she took out her phone.

 

“Wait.” Hayoung placed her hand onto Namjoo’s phone. “Yookyung was tracking down a spy. She was killed by one of our own people. There’s someone who is- “

 

“Watch out!” Namjoo yelled, pushing Hayoung aside as a grenade rolled into the room.

 

Within a second, the laboratory exploded into flames.

 

 

--

 

A/N: Some of you guessed the code right, it means "SPY". Nice job! Looks like things are going to get messy hmm