There were cheers as the combat unit entered the precinct, huge victory smiles on their face.

 

Sojung sighed in relief. Six months was a long time for her teammates to be undercover, but this was their biggest take down yet.

 

She high-fived Juyeon and gave Dawon and Meiqi tight hugs as they walked through the doors.

 

"Drinks on me tonight!" Juyeon hollered out, followed by some cheering.

 

Sojung felt arms wrap around her from behind. "The kids grow up so fast, don't they?" She inhaled her wife's scent.

 

"You make us sound ancient, Hyunjung." Sojung chuckled as she thought back to the day she recruited members for her combat unit.

 

Starting up a precinct was just as hard as Sojung thought. She had friends that graduated the academy (detective division) to help her get up and running, but the higher ups depended solely on her to handpick members for the combat, tech (hacking), and forensic units.

 

Sojung had wanted to expand her small group of detectives, to solve crime with more helpful hands. When her plan got the go ahead, she went back to her academy to scout some potentials.

 

She watched the students spar each other, waiting for one to grab her attention. Sojung wasn't looking for the typical fighter; she wanted someone unique.

 

Juyeon was unexpected. She was the tall and clumsy student, but during fights, she used her weaknesses to her advantage. Exy also noted Juyeon was the only one in her class to have gone on an undercover mission already. She knew Juyeon was one to consider, along with two others who had their own styles of fighting.

 

Meiqi practically danced while sparring her partner. She did spins, flips, and swung her partner around until they hit the mat.

 

Dawon was the quickest person Sojung had ever seen. One second she'd be throwing fast punches into her opponents stomach, to having them in a strong headlock.

 

These three were exactly what Sojung was looking for. She already felt confident that they would be a great match for her team.

 

 

"I missed you." Eyes glued to the elevator floor, the mood around them heavy. Juyeon let out a sigh as she picked at her fingers.

 

"Me too, Luda." The elevator descended and pinged each time it passed by a floor. Juyeon felt a hand hesitantly slide into her own. She looked down at their intertwined hands with an unreadable expression.

 

The elevator settled on the main floor, the door opening to reveal a drunk Hyunjung hanging off of a tired Sojung. Luda's hand retracted quickly before anyone could notice anything.

 

When everyone first joined the team, Sojung laid out some basic rules that were to be followed or else punishment ensued. One of those rules being: no fraternization.

 

Juyeon got it, she really did, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to fall for someone even if she told herself not to.

 

"Goodnight guys, we're heading out first to get this grandma to bed," Sojung gestured to Hyunjung.

 

Just then, Jiyeon brushed past the married couple into the elevator first, smirking at Luda and not giving Juyeon another glance.

 

Luda never understood why her best friend Jiyeon never really spoke a word to Juyeon unless it was case related. Neither of them talked about it and she wasn't going to pry, but the curiosity drove her crazy.

 

 

In a team of thirteen police officials, some of them were bound to know each other before being recruited by Sojung. Half of them are from the same academy, the others she had found from reliable sources.

 

It was barely the first month of being in Sojung's newly started detective group when Jiyeon got a call from her former academy. They wanted her to assist, meaning keep an eye out, on a student they sent on an undercover mission.

 

It was rare for the academy to send students on missions, but they informed her that it was a special circumstance. She told Sojung she had to do something for the academy, not specifying it was a mission, and left for a month.

 

Jiyeon showed up to the address that was in the case file. It was a dorm building for idol trainees. She never thought her singing and dancing skills would ever come in handy on a mission, but here she was.

 

"Hey do you know where Eunseo is?" Jiyeon questioned a jittery brunette girl passing by the entrance. The girl squinted her eyes.

 

"Room 27, are you her new roommate?" Jiyeon felt oddly intimidated by this girl's steely glare.

 

"Yes, I'm Bona, the new trainee." The brunette's eyes widened, Jiyeon chuckled.

 

"Oh my god, the supposed triple threat?! I'm Daisy." They shook hands and Jiyeon was thoroughly entertained by this quirky girl.

 

"They're really calling me that? How embarrassing." Daisy nodded her head rapidly before grabbing Jiyeon's wrist to lead her to her new room for what would be the most tumultuous month of her life.

 

 

"Sojung, can I talk to you?" Dawon quickly shut the office door behind her as the girl in question looked up from her never ending pile of paperwork.

 

"What's up?" Sojung rarely ever saw Dawon fidget, she was the most composed one in their combat team. "Spit it out, girl."

 

Dawon took a seat across from Sojung and let out a big sigh. "Something's been bothering me since we arrested the drug ring leader."

 

Sojung raised her eyebrows, this was definitely a huge concern. "Why didn't you let me know earlier?" Dawon groaned and buried her face in her hands.

 

"We were all so relieved to have finally caught them that it never crossed my mind until today, on our first case back."

 

Today marked a week after the combat team had come back. They were sent out onto the field for a small case out in the countryside along with the detectives.

 

They had arrested a man suspected of selling a specific type of drug the unit has been following since the undercover mission.

 

"When we got today's guy, he said something really familiar. I remember hearing it when Meiqi and I were at a party a couple of months ago."

 

 

"Eunseo, you said you were going to be here!" Meiqi softly sighed at her friends arguing over the phone. This wasn't the first time Juyeon's been MIA. That girl always had her own agenda; Meiqi chuckled thinking about how Sojung would react to ALL the details of their undercover mission.

 

Dawon huffed and hung up the phone. "We can do this without her." Meiqi nodded and looked around the loud, messy room full of drunk college students.

 

They heard rumors of this sorority, people saying they have a special kind of fun at the parties that they throw. Dawon immediately flagged it as a potential drug trade system, and she was right to do so.

 

The house was huge, home to about twenty sorority girls with ten rooms on the second floor. Dawon and Meiqi decided to split up to cover more rooms.

 

Dawon entered the last door on the left and was met with another door across the room with a buff man in dark glasses standing by it. She hid around the corner when she saw a red haired girl in front of him.

 

This was it, Dawon thought. "Password?" She heard the man gruff out. The red head chuckled.

 

"The sky is green, the grass is blue."

 

 

"It has come to my attention that we have not fully eliminated the drug ring we have been pursuing for the past year." There were audible gasps in the precinct when Sojung made her announcement. Dawon had her head down in shame while Meiqi and Juyeon gave each other wide eyed looks.

 

"We need tech and forensics on this to figure out who else could've been affiliated with the ring. The rest of us will work on the active cases and leads we have right now. Dismissed."

 

 

Luda watched on from Dayoung's desk as Jiyeon and Juyeon were in a heated argument in the hallway. Dayoung flipped through paperwork from the multiple drug cases they have encountered this past year as Luda tapped her shoulder.

 

"Do you know what's up with those two?" Dayoung looked up absentmindedly.

 

"Huh? Who?" Luda nodded her head towards the two causing a scene. Dayoung shifted uncomfortably and cleared before returning her eyes back to the papers in her hand. Luda raised a brow.

 

"Here's what you were asking for!" Luda rolled her eyes as Dayoung ignored her question. "Now off you go!"

 

Dayoung watched Luda dejectedly walk back to her shared office with the rest of the tech unit. She glanced back towards Jiyeon and Juyeon and shuddered thinking back to their first unofficial mission together. That was a tough one.

 

 

The CIA called her their special weapon. She had many successful missions under her belt, an unstoppable machine.

 

Dayoung never thought she'd find herself in a lengthy undercover mission but here she was, standing in front of Room 26, her home for the next two months. The agency trusted that she can collect information on her target within the given time frame, but she hit a bump on the road the second month she was there.

 

She got wrapped up in the trainee lifestyle and almost lost sight of the real mission. There was no reason for her to try so hard during lessons and evaluations when all of it wasn't even real. The same week Dayoung got a grip on reality, a new girl moved into the room across from hers.

 

It took two days for Dayoung to piece together that this new girl, Eunseo she said her name was, was also sent here to collect information on this big target that they shared. It was nice to know she wasn't here alone, but keeping her cover was the number one rule.

 

When Eunseo got a roommate, a new trainee named Bona, Dayoung assumed it was her partner. But with more observation, they genuinely did not seem to know each other. Or more so, one knew of the other’s true identity but not vice versa.

 

So during that whole month, all three of them walked over eggshells. Pretending to practice to become an idol and not like they were trying to take down the company's CEO.

 

 

"Dayoung?" She flinched at the hands shaking her shoulders. "It looks like you've seen a ghost."

 

Dayoung looked up at Juyeon, scoffing. "I might as well have," she mumbled. Juyeon let out a chuckle and lightly flicked Dayoung's forehead.

 

"Really though, why were you zoning out so hard? You don't normally do that." Juyeon crossed her arms, waiting for an acceptable reply.

 

Dayoung pulled Juyeon down onto the chair across from her. "Luda asked me what was up with you and Jiyeon."

 

Juyeon suddenly was not interested in what Dayoung had to say. She stood up to leave but Dayoung held onto her arm. "Will you guys ever tell her what happened?"

 

Dayoung looked on as Juyeon sighed and slumped in her seat. "The three of us are going to keep what happened," she rapidly gestured as she paused, "Between us only," she looked Dayoung in the eyes. "Forever."

 

She shoved Juyeon and let out a cackle. "Stop being so dramatic," Dayoung glanced around and leaned closer to whisper her next words. "I know how you really feel about Jiyeon and how she feels about you, I'm a detective for God's sake. But I think Luda deserves some answers."

 

Dayoung patted Juyeon's arm comfortingly and stood up. "And please, for everyone's sake, at least try to be civil.” And with that, Dayoung leaves to go to the lunch room, leaving Juyeon with her thoughts.

 

 

They waited for Sojung's signal before Dawon kicked down the door of the small warehouse, Jiyeon and Hyunjung going in right after to check out the scene.

 

Everyone's comms crackled to life, Luda's voice entering their ears as she fed them information on the target they were trying to find.

 

She was cut off when shots were heard inside and the combat unit rushed in with Sojung and Dayoung. Juyeon counted two shots and figured the two men on the ground were the ones hit.

 

"These two were guarding that door over there." Jiyeon pointed across the room to a metal door.

 

Dayoung and Hyunjung stayed back to keep a look out while the rest successfully opened the door and went inside. They encountered three more guards, all of which Meiqi took down with one strong headlock and kick.

 

It was door after door, facing off more guards until they finally reached the end.

 

 

They were faced with three doors. Sojung directed them to partner off to cover the second and third door while she went in the first door by herself. Meiqi nodded at Dawon and went in the second door. Jiyeon suppressed the inner groan bubbling in as Juyeon went through the third door without acknowledging her.

 

Ten minutes went by as Dawon and Meiqi cleared the huge storage room they walked into. "Sojung, do you copy?"

 

"I copy. What's your guy’s status?" Meiqi looked around her at the plastic bags and syringes and boxes full of unknown substances.

 

"I think we're in a storage room where they keep everything."

 

"Makes sense, I'm in what looks like a lab, presumably where they make the drugs." Sojung looked around her. "I think it's safe to say we found their base of operations."

 

Their comms crackled to life. "Guys, we got to get out of here. There's multiple trucks coming in, with armed men." Hyunjung's voice whispered through.

 

Sojung bolted out of the room and met up with Meiqi and Dawon. "Where's Jiyeon and Juyeon?!"

 

"We'll meet you guys at the safe point!" They heard Dayoung say. Sojung rushed through the third door only to be led outside.

 

"What the hell?" Dawon and Meiqi ran into Sojung's frozen body. They took a look around, fresh skid marks on the road and broken comms on the ground where they stood. "The third door was a trap."

 

 

The bag over Jiyeon's head was pulled off, welcoming her eyes to an unsettling situation. They had Juyeon tied to a chair, sitting across from her in a dimly lit office, gun pointed at her head.

 

Jiyeon's eyes immediately widened in worry as she tried to pull out her hands from the restraints they put on her. "What do you guys want?! Please don’t shoot her!" She checked out the room, it was empty besides the two men holding them hostage and the chairs they were tied to.

 

Even under the circumstances, Juyeon tried not to roll her eyes at Jiyeon’s dramatics. “As if you’d care if they shot me in the head!”

 

“I take it back. Do shoot her, please.” Juyeon stuck her tongue out at her, totally forgetting she has a gone against her head.

 

An alarm beeped out of nowhere suddenly and the two men left the room abruptly. As the door clicked shut and the footsteps faded, Juyeon immediately moved her chair next to Jiyeon's, grabbing the rope to untie her hands with her own tied hands.

 

"Im getting a weird sense of deja vu, are you, Eunseo?" Juyeon felt Jiyeon whisper into her ear. She ignored her words as she unravelled the rope, letting Jiyeon loose to untie Juyeon's.

 

"It's time to get out of here."

 

 

"I'm glad you guys are safe, yes everyone else is here, come back safely and quickly." Juyeon overheard Sojung speak to Jiyeon through the payphone they found a couple miles from where they were held.

 

It was already night time and all they saw was a twenty four hour diner up the street. "Does any of this seem off to you?" Juyeon questioned.

 

"That they were stupid enough to leave us alone in a room together?" Jiyeon chuckled, catching the double meaning in her statement. Juyeon threw her a glare and shifted uncomfortably.

 

"Whatever." She crossed her arms and looked away like a child sulking after getting in trouble. Jiyeon smiled.

 

Seconds passed and Juyeon looked back at Jiyeon, but she was already looking at her. "Why are you staring at me?"

 

"Because you're cute."

 

 

Juyeon was being dragged back to her room straight after late night practice. Her heartbeat was out of control, this was bad. She was on an assignment, let alone her first, and her heart couldn't chill out just this once? She chalked it up to being a rookie, just this once she told herself.

 

She could've sworn she heard someone following them, but she couldn't bother caring after feeling familiar arms wrap around her waist from behind as she got her room door open.

 

The second the door closed behind them, she felt lips on hers. "I love you, Eunseo."

 

"I love you too, Bona."

 

 

"Earth to Juyeon? Sojung's here to pick us up." She was jolted out of her memories, seeing Jiyeon already standing up ready to go.

 

Sojung drove up to the diner, Jiyeon getting in the front seat while Juyeon took the back. The car ride back to HQ was overwhelmingly silent. Sojung the radio, a song quietly playing through the speakers. Jiyeon immediately turned it off.

 

Sojung raised an eyebrow at her friend's squirrelly behavior. "Juyeon had a thought earlier." Jiyeon brought up suddenly. "It seemed weird that an alarm went off out of nowhere and that they both left us unattended."

 

"So you found it weird too?" Juyeon questioned from the back as she scoffed. "Glad to know your detective skills still work," she muttered under her breath.

 

"Excuse me-," Jiyeon started before she was cut off.

 

"We're here guys!" Sojung parked the car in front of their building. "The others are waiting!" She gave Jiyeon a stern look before getting out of the car.

 

Sojung sighed as she listened to the inevitable arguing between her two teammates while they stood in the elevator.

 

Sojung watched as the floor numbers increased.

 

1

"I can't believe the one time we get stuck as partners, we get kidnapped!"

 

2

"It was totally your fault!"

 

3

"You could have easily taken that man who grabbed you!"

 

4

The elevator doors opened and Sojung had never been so relieved.

 

 

Sojung let the two barge out the door first, watching as they stomp away in opposite directions to their respective offices, conveniently as far away from each other as possible.

 

She slumped toward her desk in the middle of the precinct, Hyunjung already waiting with a fresh cup of coffee for her. “You think it’s time we stage an intervention with those two? I mean, it’s crazy how far they’ve gone without actually murdering each other.”

 

Sojung grabbed the mug and took a small sip, her wife chuckling lightly at the thought. “They would end up murdering each other if we DID intervene.”

 

She hummed in response as she sat at her desk to finish paperwork. Sojung was glad her teammates were back safe and sound, but the nagging feeling of the calm before the storm ate away at her thoughts for the rest of the night.

 

Finding their base of operations was barely a step forward, seeming as they can easily transfer to a different location and continue on as if we didn’t have a lead on them.

 

It frustrated her that cutting off one head of the snake, led to another head being formed. But she knew her team was the best of the best to take the whole snake down.

 

 

Juyeon made the choice of taking a different course than Meiqi and Dawon during their undercover mission, just to not draw too much attention on three new transfer girls.

 

She quickly befriended this upbeat, friendly girl from her Chemistry class and got an invite to a party at the girl’s sorority.

 

Over the course of the next few months, Juyeon’s been working this angle of getting close to the target. Sleeping with her suspect was not on the list, but she had to do what she had to do for the mission, she tells herself.

 

The others would kill her if they knew, but they would thank her in hindsight. At least she hoped.

 

The loud music, of the party Meiqi and Dawon were at, was thumping through the thin walls of the room Eunseo was currently laying on a bed in.

 

Eunseo knew sooner or later that the others would figure out that this sorority was a front for the drug ring.

 

She felt arms wrap around her waist as she hung up the phone call with Dawon.

 

“Come cuddle.”

 

“Can we go to a quieter room, Sana?” She felt bad, manipulating this sweet and naive girl just to get evidence to eventually rat her and her sorority friends out, along with whoever’s in charge of them.

 

After many nights spent in the house, Eunseo did her fair share of snooping and figured out which room was the main spot for transactions.

 

Eunseo watched as Sana took a few seconds to think and make a decision.

“I can take you to the fun room.”

 

She let out a little giggle and Eunseo couldn’t help letting out a small smile.

 

The fun room was exactly what Eunseo hoped it would be, but not in the dirty sense. It was the room guarded by the random buff man all the time, the one where she suspected all the deals went down in.

 

He eyed Eunseo questioningly but still asked for a password.

 

“Come on, it’s me! Your favorite!” Eunseo refrained from widening her eyes at that comment. What does Sana even mean by that?

 

He rolled his eyes but let them in anyway, still eyeing her like a hawk as if she wouldn’t notice.

 

They walked into a room that was dimly lit by blue colored lights, and black leather couches against the walls. Almost everyone was smoking some sort of drug, but Eunseo noticed a certain red haired girl getting pills from a mysterious man in sunglasses inside one of the extra rooms.

 

Eunseo’s head was dizzy by the fact that this sorority had a room inside a room, that was inside a room. She didn’t like to think it was the secondhand fumes getting to her.

 

She watched Sana acknowledge the red haired girl, finding out later that her name is Nayeon, before being dragged into the next empty extra room.

 

“Peace and quiet.” Sana contentedly exclaimed as she fell onto the bed placed in the small room.

 

Eunseo joined her on the bed as she shoved away the thoughts of how she was an officer ready to blow the roof off on their whole drug operation.

 

 

Meiqi was sitting at the table in the lounge when Dawon handed her a cup of coffee, also taking a seat.

 

“This whole drug ring ordeal has my head spinning.” Dawon sighed, taking a sip of her hot drink.

 

“I just hate to think our efforts on the undercover mission was barely helpful.” Meiqi sulked. Dawon gave her a sympathetic smile.

 

Luda shuffled into the room to grab her lunch from the fridge when she overheard Dawon and Meiqi talking. She was about to walk up to them when she heard Juyeon’s name come up.

 

“Leave it to Juyeon to always work the ‘sleeping with the enemy’ angle.” She heard Meiqi chuckle after Dawon’s cackle.

“Sojung would probably ban her from undercover missions if she knew!”

 

Luda gasped to herself. She doesn’t exactly have the right to be mad, seeming as they’re not even officially together, but she can still be hurt.

 

She knew of Juyeon’s womanizing ways, but that was before they confessed to each other. Right before she left for their recent mission.

 

Luda heaved a big sigh and headed out the door. It’s time she asks Juyeon the questions she’s been dying to know the answers to.

 

 

Hyunjung knocked on the clear glass door to Jiyeon’s office. “Hey, you feeling okay?”

 

“Never better.” Hyunjung scoffed at her friend’s sarcasm.

 

“Not to sound like a broken record, but I am here if you need someone to talk to.”

She patted Jiyeon on the shoulder as she turned to walk out.

 

“I was in love with her, you know.” She heard Jiyeon mumble quietly. Hyunjung’s ears perked. Never in her life would she have thought the seemingly cold-hearted girl would even HAVE the heart to feel such strong emotions like love.

 

“Who?”

 

“Remember that month where I was gone? When Sojung first started this team?”

 

Hyunjung nodded her head. “You never told us what you were doing for the academy.”

 

“They sent me undercover, to assist a student that was on a mission.”

 

Hyunjung didn’t get how this all tied up to Jiyeon’s sudden confession earlier, but she nodded her head and waited patiently for the whole story.

 

“Hyunjung, they made me keep an eye on Juyeon.”

 

If this wasn’t the biggest revelation of the century, then Hyunjung didn’t know what was. She refrained herself from dropping her jaw.

 

“And my fell in love.”

 

“Well, what happened? Did the mission end successfully?” It didn’t surprise Hyunjung that the academy would send Juyeon, she was their star student. And Hyunjung was proud.

 

“It didn’t actually.”

 

 

Dayoung rushed up the stairs to the roof of their studio building, chasing after their crooked CEO. Her cover was blown and she had to act fast if she wanted this mission to end well.

 

She burst through the door, grabbing the gun she hid in a holster attached to her leg. “Hands where I can see them!”

 

She did not expect to see Eunseo and Bona up on the roof, noticing quickly Bona’s hand on a gun hiding inside her pants, Eunseo hiding behind her in fear.

 

He had nowhere to go, no weapon, nothing. “Hands behind your head! Get on your knees!” Dayoung shouted at him.

 

He turned to Dayoung and grinned before he turned and jumped off the building.

 

She screamed and ran towards the edge, looking down to see his body laying on a dented van.

 

Dayoung cursed to herself, taking out her emergency phone and dialing her agency.

 

“Daisy?” She heard Bona speak up from across the roof, Eunseo looking to be in absolute shock right behind her.

 

She put down her phone after sending the distress signal. “My real name is Dayoung. I work for the CIA.”

 

Bona let go of the grip she had on her gun. She looked hesitantly at Eunseo before she said her next words.

 

“I’m Jiyeon. The academy sent me to keep an eye on their trainee agent.”

 

Dayoung noticed Eunseo furrowing her eyebrows. She pieced together that Eunseo was not aware of any of this and that they weren’t partners, like she thought.

 

“Let them know the mission is over, it’s time to return home.” She watched as Eunseo dragged Bona, now Jiyeon, back into the building.

 

Dayoung walked back over to the edge again, peering down to see no body. Her eyes widened in fear.

 

He got away?!

 

“He’s been in the wind ever since.”

 

Hyunjung tried to grasp all this new information but still ended up slack jawed.

“How come you guys never mentioned this to any of us? To Sojung?”

 

Jiyeon shrugged. “This was before she recruited them. I honestly didn’t think I would see those two ever again after the mission was over.”

 

She heaved a sigh and took Hyunjung’s pensive look as a sign that she was conflicted on telling Sojung what Jiyeon just told her.

 

“You can tell her, but it still won’t fix the problems I have with Juyeon.”

 

Hyunjung rolled her eyes and stood up. “Telling me your history with her is a first step!” She said with hope.

 

Jiyeon gave her a small smile and shooed her out of her office. Back to being the icy girl she is.

 

But behind that hard exterior, was just a girl who had hard feelings over a heartbreak.

 

 

Luda had texted Juyeon, asking if she wanted to get dinner together. She quirked an eyebrow at her phone. Luda was rarely ever this up front, always too shy to make plans first.

 

They met up at the bar across the street from HQ. Juyeon settled into the booth across a nervous looking Luda.

 

“What’s up?”

 

“Did you sleep with someone on your mission?”

 

The question caught her off guard. “Where did you hear that?”

 

“I’m not mad, Juyeon. You can tell me anything, you know. I’d like it if you would.” Luda mumbled the last part.

 

Juyeon sighed, her hands covering her face. “Guilty.”

 

Luda ignored the dreadful feeling bubbling in the pit of her stomach. Juyeon hesitantly reached for her hand across the table.

 

“Luda, I’m no good for you. You deserve someone who will give you their all. I don’t think I can do that.”

 

She knew this was going to happen, but better before they started a real relationship.

 

“Can you answer one question? I think I deserve at least that. Some answers.” Luda tried to hide her boiling bitterness at the situation, but she should’ve known with a girl like Juyeon.

 

Juyeon shoved her hands back into her pockets and nodded, not looking her in the eye.

 

“What happened with you and Jiyeon?”

 

 

Eunseo dragged Bona, Jiyeon, back down several flights of stairs all the way to their shared dorm room, where they have spent the last month in together.

 

She slammed the door shut. “You lied to me?”

 

Jiyeon was quiet, staring at the ground, taking in all of her girlfriend’s anger.

 

“Was all of this a lie? Your feelings for me?” She could hear how choked up Eunseo was and she still stayed wordless, eyes avoiding other tear filled eyes.

 

“Answer me!” Jiyeon had to make a decision.

 

“Yes.”

 

She lied. She lied about lying. This was just a chance mission, they were never going to cross paths again. Jiyeon couldn’t maintain a real relationship with her in the real world. That’s what she told herself.

 

A sob tore through the dead silent air and then a sound of a door slamming shut again.

 

Jiyeon laughed at herself bitterly. She really let herself fall in love during a mission. And she ended up being more of a coward for lying about her true feelings in the end.

 

 

Sojung volunteered Jiyeon and Juyeon to stake out a hotel room for a possible lead. They knew they were being lied to when Sojung said no one else but the two of them were currently available right now, the rest of the detective and combat unit all suddenly falling ill to this “mystery flu”.

 

They begrudgingly accepted their orders and were on their way to the location of where they would take their equipment to set up. Sojung had set them up in a neighboring four star hotel room across the room of their intended target.

 

No words we’re exchanged the whole day. Having had enough of the insufferable quiet, Juyeon the radio console the hotel provided in every room.

 

She instantly blushed at which song came blasting through the speakers. She quickly turned it off.

 

“That was our song.” Juyeon heard Jiyeon mumble, not taking her eyes off the microscope they had pointed across the street.

 

“Key word: was.” Juyeon snapped back. Cabin fever couldn’t already be happening right? They had only been here for five hours.

 

“Feisty.”

 

Juyeon’s calm composure broke. She was already upset over her talk with Luda, not facing her real feelings for someone who broke her heart, and now said girl is trying to act as if nothing wrong has happened between them.

 

“Screw you, Jiyeon. I never wanted to see you again, but as luck would have it, I get recruited to the team you happened to be in.”

 

Jiyeon didn’t move from her position but she stayed quiet to let Juyeon express her pent up anger. It’s what she deserved, Jiyeon thought to herself.

 

“You broke my heart and didn’t even bat an eye. Do you know how hard you ruined me? I was inconsolable for days. Even considered giving up at the academy before Sojung came to visit!”

 

After Jiyeon quickly fled back to Sojung’s budding detective group, she shoved back all her thoughts about Eunseo, the girl from the mission, to the back of her mind. Wanting to forget about everything.

 

She didn’t even want to think about the aftermath of the other girl.

 

“And now you’re just sitting there like the coward you still are.”

 

Jiyeon finally had enough and stood up angrily, her chair falling backwards onto the floor.

 

“I am a coward. A big one at that.”

 

She watched as Juyeon furrowed her eyebrows.

 

“You’re right. I was a coward then, and I am a coward now. A coward for not being honest about how I really feel.”

 

The air was thick with every range of emotion. The silence was deafening.

 

“I was in love with you.”

 

Juyeon visibly swallowed. “Key word: was.” She whispered back.

 

Jiyeon looked down at her feet. She had to make a decision, and the right one this time.

 

“No. I still am.”

 

 

The next hour was filled with loud fights, heated kisses, and clothes strewn all over the room.

 

They laid on the bed, completely silent as they stared up at the ceiling.

 

“This was a mistake.” Juyeon whispered to herself.

 

Jiyeon turned to face her. “Didn’t feel like it.”

 

Juyeon sat up, clutching the sheets to cover herself. Jiyeon followed and wrapped her arms around her waist.

 

“Be with me.” Jiyeon mumbled into Juyeon’s neck.

 

Those words echoed in Juyeon’s mind. Figuring out she couldn’t deal with the current situation playing out right now, she diverted.

 

“When did you figure out Sojung set us up?”

 

Jiyeon sighed, taking defeat. “When I saw an old lady coming into the room we were watching. How did you?”

 

“When she asked us to go together.”

 

They got up from the bed, tossing each other’s clothes to each other before getting dressed.

 

“We’ve got a drug leader to take down and Sojung’s setting us up on silly missions? Talk about whack priorities.”

Juyeon muttered to herself.

 

 

Jiyeon stayed silent as she watched Juyeon berate their leader. “Your little plan didn’t work! We have serious stuff to take care of regarding the drug ring but you’re just wasting time sending us on a wild goose chase for your own personal reasons!”

 

Sojung had a hint of a smile and raised her eyebrows towards Jiyeon. “My plan didn’t work? Then what’s that on your neck, Juyeon?”

 

The girl in question faltered and clutched the side of her neck. “I will get you back for this!” And with that the younger girl stormed out of the office.

 

A few beats passed by until Sojung spoke up. “Want to tell me what happened? Hyunjung told me everything regarding your past history with Juyeon. So everything makes sense now.” She trailed off.

 

Jiyeon smiled sadly to herself. “Yes. Something did happen.” Sojung studied the look on her friend’s face. She decided to excuse their fraternizing behavior, now knowing their past. She didn’t want to pry.

 

“That’s good. Now, let’s get back to work.”

 

 

The next few weeks went by too quietly. All leads came up dead ends. The combat unit was getting restless, feeling like this whole botched operation was on them, eager to finally capture the head boss.

 

“Yeonjung, how good is your source?” Sojung read through a file of papers.

 

“Almost always ninety-nine percent accurate.” The leader looked up and eyed the younger girl. The girl stared right back, not faltering one bit.

 

“Alright, I’ll gather up the troops.”

 

 

“How many heat signatures are you reading?” Sojung asked Hyunjung while they hid behind their car. The members of the combat unit fifty feet to the left and the rest of the detective unit fifty feet to the right of them.

 

“Two in the front of the property, two in the back, and one inside.” Sojung nodded and pressed her comms.

 

“Combat, go take the back. Once it’s clear, check the perimeter and take out the front. We’ll cover you guys from here.”

 

Their team’s star hacker had struck gold and found the location of the head drug ring leader’s safe house. A large victorian house surrounded by trees with a long driveway, miles outside of the city. The sun had set hours ago while they got situated on the road leading into the house.

 

Sojung watched on as her team snuck around, disappearing behind the house. A couple minutes passed and their comms crackled. “Back is clear. Onto the front.”

 

Hyunjung chuckled as she watched Juyeon and Meiqi tag team a man twice their size. “I love seeing them fight.” She mumbled to her smirking wife.

 

“Front is clear.”

 

Sojung checked the heat signatures, one figure on the first floor. “Guard the front, the rest of us will take the back. We close in on my count.”

 

They quietly rushed across the yard, stopping at the front door. Sojung held up her fingers, counting down from three, her team waiting behind her. She kicked in the door, raising her gun immediately. They maneuvered through the spacious house, clearing rooms as they went.

 

Noises were coming from inside a double door. They paused and waited for Sojung’s count.

 

She twisted the knob open, raising her gun up again in preparation. A man was facing away from them, focused on a show playing on the television in front of him.

 

“Took you guys long enough.” The man’s voice brought chills down everyone’s spines.

 

He didn’t turn around and they didn’t make a move, all guns pointed towards him.

 

“All good things must come to an end, I guess.” He continues to talk mysteriously.

 

Dayoung refrained from rolling her eyes and started to check out the room they were standing in. It was bare besides a couch, flat screen, and a coffee table with a picture frame of two smiling men.

 

She recognized one of them.

 

She nudged Jiyeon, gesturing to the frame. They looked at each other with wide eyes.

 

“You won’t catch him, he’s always been better at getting away.” Sojung and Hyunjung looked at each other with furrowed brows, confused with his whole speech.

 

“He told me about you, Daisy.” All eyes shot toward Dayoung, the young girl visibly gulping.

 

He slowly held up his hands, raising from his seat, turning around. “I’ll go with you guys peacefully.”

 

Hyunjung held her gun firmly while Sojung approached him, cuffing his hands behind his back.

 

Dayoung cleared , getting a grip on herself. “We’re going to find him someday.”

 

He stared straight at her, a smirk slowly forming on his face. Sojung and Jiyeon whisked him away out of the house, towards their cars.

 

Hyunjung pressed her comms. “Combat, target captured. Retreat back.”

 

 

Dayoung dragged Jiyeon and Juyeon into the lounge room once they got back to headquarters.

 

“This is a huge problem.”

 

Dayoung plopped onto a chair. “Why did he single me out? You were right next to me in that room, Jiyeon.”

 

The older girl shrugged, taking a seat. “I don’t want to think that he’s had some weird grudge after that mission went south, especially for you.”

 

“But that’s exactly what it is!” Dayoung buried her face in her hands. Juyeon stayed standing up with her arms crossed, mum about the whole situation that ensued earlier.

 

“We’ll figure everything out. We won’t let anything happen to you, Dayoung.” The older girl patted her back.

 

Juyeon nodded in agreement, giving the youngest a comforting squeeze on the shoulder before she walks out.

 

 

The team had finally got the man responsible for dangerous drugs in custody. But the victory didn’t sit well with them. The past is finally catching up with some of the members, making everyone anxious about the possible endangerment they could be in.

 

Dayoung was determined to find and capture the target that got away those years ago. The mission that haunts her every now and then. Her last mission with the CIA. Her worst mission.

 

 

Juyeon sat at a bar, staring at her full glass of beer. She was so focused and dazed that she didn’t notice the stool next to her getting occupied by someone.

 

“Hey, it’s been a while.”

 

She finally looked up, meeting eyes with Chengxiao, one of the team’s forensic scientist.

 

“Hey, Xiao. Been too busy to come down to the forensic wing.”

 

“Forensic wing.” The girl cackled. “You make it sound so fancy when we all know it’s just the basement.”

 

Juyeon cracked a smile. “Have we been making you guys busy with this whole drug ring takedown?”

 

Chengxiao nodded. “At least it’s over with now.”

 

With that, Juyeon finally took a sip of her beer. “Not quite. Something else has come up that we have to take care of right away.”

 

Chengxiao groaned and slumped out of her seat, grabbing her purse as she stood up. “Well, come down to the lab and visit us some time! The others miss you, too.”

 

“Will do.” Juyeon saluted at her friend.

 

 

Dayoung traveled to the bottom level of the building and knocked on a huge metal door at the end of the hall. “Let me in, guys. I’ve got something important to ask!”

 

The door swung open, revealing a blonde girl. “Yeoreum! Just the person I needed to see.”

 

Yeoreum raised her eyebrows at her friend. “What brings you to our floor, babe?”

 

“Remember when we first met?”

 

 

Dayoung walked under the police tape of the crime scene holding up her badge, telling the officers to hold people off from seeing the dented van.

 

She sighed as she walked up, seeing huge amounts of blood trailing off the van and onto the street, then suddenly stopping. There were skid marks. Someone must of picked him up after the fall.

 

She walked around, noticing a girl crouched over on the ground. Her jacket reading CSI. “Hello there.”

 

The girl lost balance, whipping her arms out to the side to steady herself. “You literally caught me off guard, babe.”

 

“Babe?” Dayoung’s eyebrows furrowed at the girl.

She stood up, facing Dayoung. “They told me you saw him fall. Did he land on his front or his back?”

 

“His front.” Dayoung mumbled absentmindedly, squinting at the young CSI in front of her.

 

“I’m Yeoreum, nice to meet you, Dayoung.”

 

“How do you know my name?” The girl winked at her, causing Dayoung to blush.

 

“It’s nice to finally meet someone the same age as me in this business.” The blonde mumbled to herself, avoiding Dayoung’s questions.

 

“Can you tell me if he could survive a fall like this?”

 

“Sadly, I think he can.”

 

 

Dayoung got her friend up to speed on their current dilemma, asking Yeoreum all she could remember from that mission.

 

“I’ll get my files and we’ll work on things together. Don’t you worry, babe.” Dayoung rolled her eyes.

 

“That sounds the most reassuring coming from you.” Yeoreum just giggled in response.

 

 

There were clattering noises coming from the storage closet on the office floor as Soobin walked by on her way to Sojung’s office. She paused and took a step back, putting her ear to the door. She regrets ever bothering to stop.

 

She heard hushed whispers and whimpers and muffled names. Soobin squeaked in realization and ran down the hall.

 

“Why’s it look like you’ve seen a ghost, Soob?” Sojung questions as she practically runs into her office.

 

“Maybe because I did.” She whispers to herself, a blush creeping up her cheeks at the thought of who and what was happening in the storage closet.

 

Xuanyi and Jiyeon are definitely crazy pulling a stunt like that so close to the boss’ office.

 

But Soobin was going to keep quiet. She shook her head, coming back to reality. “You needed to talk, boss?”

 

“Yes. We have a brand new mission. But this time, it’s really important we apprehend the target as soon as possible.”