Afternoon.

Yoohyeon walked out of her office and went straight to the elevator. Handong who just came out of the restroom, saw her friend passing by with a pinched look on her face. She looked down at her wristwatch, noting that lunch would be in half an hour.

"You're going to lunch?" Handong asked.

Yooheyon's head swerved around, looking at her. "N-no, I'm meeting someone," said Yoohyeon, as her lips attempted a small smile.

"Jooheon?"

"No."

Handong tilted her head in slight confusion and her hand rested on her hip. "Sure you're not going down to eat? You're always the first in line 'cause you hate waiting to get food."

"I'm not hungry today." With her reply cut short like that, Handong could definitely sense that something was wrong with her friend. She had never missed any opportunity to eat and especially so for lunch. But apparently, today, she was. The elevator doors opened and not missing a beat, Yoohyeon walked inside and pushed the button for level 6.

"See ya." Yoohyeon waved at Handong just before the doors closed. As the lift descended, Yoohyeon's smile dropped and her eyes closed. Seeming to be preparing herself to face something that was not pleasant, but was still needed to be done. Meanwhile, Handong stood frozen on the same spot, as she stared where she last saw her friend. Reaching to a decision, her eyes narrowed, as she could feel something was going on.

"Something's not right," she muttered.

The elevator arrived at level 6, and Yoohyeon marched out with her shoulders straight and with thin set of lips. A couple of steps forward, she stopped in front of the Dojo Center. Yoohyeon twisted the door knob and went inside and saw the three new agents she had asked to meet earlier in the morning.

The new agents spotted Yoohyeon entering the room and they quickly bowed to her as per procedure between juniors and seniors. "Good afternoon, Miss Yoohyeon," they chorused.

"So, three of you are early." She spoke and walked across where there was a row of buttons on the far side of the wall. She pushed a button and the wall behind the buttons slid open. The agents' eyes widened as they looked at each other in awe. Out of all the places to place weapons, they didn't expect for it to be inside a wall. As they processed what was meant to be a secret between higher level agents, Yoohyeon picked up a non-lethal melee weapon.

"Pick any weapon that you like." She ordered them. They looked at her then at each other in confusion, then shrugged as they followed her order. Each of them picked their own melee weapons; a set of brass knuckles, a stun gun and a baseball bat.

"What are we actually going to do with these weapons, Miss Yoohyeon?" spoke one of the agents as they stared at her who was starting some basic warm-up.

She bounced on the balls of her feet and turned around. "I want the three of you to attack me."

"What?!" All three of them screamed in shock.

"Go on, I don't have any weapons in my hand so you guys should be able to hit me easily," she urged.

"But, w-why are we doing this?" asked another agent.

"You guys mentioned this morning that I'm not the smartest member of the squad." Then, she took off her blazer and loosened her black tie on her neck.

"I just wanted to show you guys what I thought of what you said this morning."

The agent that had been responsible for all this stepped forward and spoke. "I didn't mean what I said, Miss--"

"Step forward and don't be easy on me because I'm a woman." Yoohyeon cut off his words.

"B-but--"

"It's an order, agents!" Yoohyeon yelled at them, her eyes blazed as she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Man, look what you've done. She's getting mad because of you," spoke one of his friends.

"Shut up! Just do what she says." They all prepared their stance and ran at Yoohyeon at the same time.

____________

At the Cafeteria

The squad were all sitting around one table, enjoying their lunch together. Noting a missing number in their group, Sua looked around the table, confirming her suspicion.

"Did anyone see Yoohyeon?" Sua piped up, stopping the chatter between the members.

"Nope," Siyeon replied.

"Dami?" Sua asked Dami and she shook her head.

"That's weird. She's never late for lunch," said Sua.

"She never misses lunch. Period," Dami added.

"She said... she went to meet someone," Handong spoke out.

"Is it Jooheon?" Siyeon asked.

"No, she didn't tell who." Hearing a commotion behind them, the girls turned around and saw a group of agents were running out of the cafeteria.

"Where's everyone going?" The girls were clueless by their behaviour, as they did not know what was happening. Just then, they saw Doctor Wendy arriving outside the doors. She looked around the room just to see who she was looking for.

"Girls!" she shouted and ran towards them.

"Doc, what's wrong?" asked Sua.

"It's Yoohyeon. She's fighting with three male agents right now." Their heads went back at that, as they couldn't believe one of their members would be involved in a fight.

"Where?!" Siyeon asked.

"At the Dojo Center."

"Damn it, Tree!" The girls bolted out of their seats and immediately jogged towards the nearest elevator.

Turning the corner, they saw that there were already a number of agents clustered outside of the Dojo Center. They were all watching the fight between Yoohyeon and the three agents through the large windows. Just then, one of the spectators outside turned his head to see the Dreamcatcher squad arriving.

"Guys! Dreamcatcher's here," he hissed to his friends, but because there were others gathered close around, many set of eyes turned to see the girls barging through the entrance of the dojo center. They immediately gave way for them to pass and at the same time, hurriedly bowed to them too. Siyeon twisted the doorknob and they went inside the dojo center. They went in just in time to see Yoohyeon beating the last of the three agents to fall on the ground.

"Get up, agents!" Yoohyeon commanded, and they struggled to get up after getting beaten hard by their mentor. The girls could not let this go on any longer. They had to intervene before three heavily injured bodies needed to be sent to the Doctor.

"Hold her." Siyeon ordered and they immediately went up to her, holding her back. The girls grabbed onto her arms from the back, and Yoohyeon only just then realizing that her friends were holding her. Dami and Handong locked both her arms, taking a couple of steps behind to distance herself from the newbies. Sua joined the three and was in front of her, trying to calm her down while Siyeon checked on the agents' condition. Luckily, they arrived just in time as there was no serious injuries yet inflicted upon them.

"Let me go!" Yoohyeon struggled to be released but Handong and Dami didn't let up their grip. They won't let her go in fear she would beat the agents again. And it would be a lie if they said they were not concerned for her sanity.

"Calm down, Tree," Sua tried to cool off her friend's anger.

"What's wrong, Yoohyeon?" Siyeon asked her.

"Let me ing go, first!" Yoohyeon screamed for her release. Siyeon nodded for the girls to release her.

"Okay, tell me," said Siyeon.

Yoohyeon jabbed a finger at the agents on the floor. "They said I can't be a leader of the group because I'm not smart enough to handle the responsibility. Do you know how it feels when someone speaks about you like that?!" Yoohyeon cried, her face getting red for the bottled emotions she was letting out.

"I'm not the smartest of the squad but I will risk myself to save my members when they are in danger!" Yoohyeon stomped her feet and dashed out of the dojo center.

Silence descended upon the room, as the girls felt a deep concern and sympathy for Yoohyeon.

"Three of you, come with us." Siyeon ordered the new agents to get up. The Dreamcatcher squad walked out from the dojo hall and the group of agents made way for them along with the troubled agents trailing behind them. Once all of them were inside the elevator, Sua pressed the button for the designated floor. She looked up at the group of agents still looking at them and narrowed her eyes. They scrambled and turned the other way, hurrying to get away from the stare.

Sua turned to Dami and they smirked, while the three agents fidgeted.

__________

The three new agents were standing still and looking down. In front of them were their mentors, where Sua and Siyeon sat on the couch facing them, while Dami was in Yoohyeon's office and Handong was a couple of strides away, taking a phone call.

"Is she in the office, Dami?" asked Siyeon to Dami as she appeared from Yoohyeon's office. Dami shook her head at her.

Just then, Handong ended the call and went towards them. "The front desk staff said they saw Tree walking out from the headquarters just now." Handong told them as she read the message from her phone.

"Thanks, Dongie," said Siyeon and Handong nodded in reply. Then, they turned around and stared at the three guilty agents.

"Okay." Siyeon changed her seat position and crossed her legs, giving them a serious look. The agents looked away as they felt they were being watched by a wolf. "Which one of you said Agent Yoohyeon is an idiot?"

The agent in the middle raised his hand. "I-I did but I didn't say that Miss Yoohyeon was an idiot. I just said that she's just not the... smartest member to be the leader of the squad."

Another agent added, "And at that time we didn't realize that Miss Yoohyeon was behind us. She heard what he said, and she asked us to go to the Dojo Center during lunch hour."

"Did she ask you guys to fight?" Dami asked them and they nodded.

"This would not be her first time anyway," Handong commented. "You guys are lucky we came just in time." She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms.

Sua informed them from their look of confusion. "She had fought with two new agents before and one of them was sent straight to hospital due to broken ribs and femur."

"Because of her spontaneous act, she was suspended for two months and the reason she fought them was similar to what you guys have said; that she was the weakest agent in this agency," added Siyeon.

"W-we didn't mean it like that. We just talked about our opinion on who would replace Miss Jiu's place as the leader while she's still recovering," defended the agent.

"So, which one of us do you guys think might be the new leader?" Sua asked them.

"You, Miss Sua because you're the second oldest of the squad," said the agent from the left.

"Just because I'm the second oldest, you guys think I might be the new leader?" They nodded. "No, Jiu didn't choose me," said her.

"If Miss Sua isn't the leader. Then who?" asked the agent from the right.

"Miss Yoohyeon," spoke Dami and the agents were shocked when she said Yoohyeon's name.

Suddenly, Dami burst out laughing and the agents looked at her curiously. "Nah, she's not," she shook her head. "Neither am I," she added.

"This leader thing is not my vibe so I wasn't picked." said Handong. The agents heard one by one the confessions from three of their mentors and the only one who didn't speak was...

"It's me." Siyeon finally told them.

"At first, I didn't want to be a leader even when I first became an agent. Yes, I was the first member officially in the squad before Jiu but I passed on the leader role to her because I knew she could handle it better than I could. Now that she cannot continue her duty because of her injuries, she passed the responsibility back to me."

"Then, why didn't you refuse the offer, Miss Siyeon?" asked the agent.

"Because of trust. Jiu put all her trust and hope in me that I could handle my squad and I will not let her down. I really don't know much and don't have any experience about being a leader. But with some help and support from my members-- including Yoohyeon, I will try to handle this responsibility accordingly." The three agents bit their lips and remained silent after hearing Siyeon's statement.

"We're deeply sorry for being a bad representation of an agent, Miss Siyeon," said the agent in the middle.

"And we will support you as the leader of Dreamcatcher squad." Added his friend from the right.

"I accept your apology. And thank you." Siyeon smiled at them.

"But... we would also like to apologize to Miss Yoohyeon?" The agent on the left asked them.

"Don't worry about her. She probably went to PC Bang to play PUBG. You're dismissed and go straight to Doctor Wendy for a check-up. There might be injuries we missed that needs to be looked at."

"Thank you, Miss Siyeon." The agents bowed and exited towards the elevator. The girls watched them go until they went into the elevator and the door slid close. Siyeon sighed and so did the rest of the girls.

"A wolf blew three piglets away with words, but didn't bite them off. Good job being a leader on the first day." Sua praised Siyeon.

"Now I know how Jiu feels when she's handling these type of situation. Must have lots of patience," stated Siyeon as her forehead rested on the palm of her hand.

"And we should praise her because she can handle us-- especially Tree," added Handong.

"Alright, back to your office." Siyeon stood up from the couch and walked away to her office. The rest also moved from their spot, albeit slower as they didn't want to continue their monotonous paperwork.

"Dami." Sua stopped her friend for a few seconds and Dami turned around.

"Yep?"

"What time are you going for your undercover with the elite police squad?" asked Sua.

"At 10 tonight but I'll be going to the police headquarters later at 5. Why?" said Dami.

"Be prepared, plan the strategies wisely and most importantly, please be careful." Sua advised her friend.

"Yes, mom. I know." Dami smirked and went inside her office.
_____________

At The Hospital

Jiu was watching a show on television in her room. Suddenly, she heard someone knocking on the door.

"Come in," said Jiu. The door slid open and the person walked into her room. Jiu's eyebrows raised as she was surprised to see her friend at this time of day. Did she take some time off today?

"Yoohyeon?"

"Hey Jiu," Yoohyeon waved.

"Did everyone get a half day of work today?" asked Jiu. Yoohyeon shook her head and remained silent. Jiu looked at her friend in concern as she saw her disheartening appearance.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Jiu... am I useless? Everyone has been telling me that I'm not suitable to be the leader of our team and I just--" Yoohyeon stopped herself from ranting.

"Who told you that?"

"The newbies..." Jiu sighed and asked her to seat beside her. Yoohyeon went to a chair and sat down.

"Did you fight with the agents again, Tree?" Jiu asked her friend.

"Sort of... It's their fault for making me fight them-- it's 'cause they called me stupid."

"Hey, I'm not blaming you and I'm not blaming them either. I know you're a really sensitive person but I never once thought that you're stupid, Tree."

"But, the newbies thought that I'm not as smart as they thought and that I couldn't handle this leader job thing."

"No, they're wrong about you. They don't know who you are. They could only judge you from what you show on the outside but they've never seen you for who you are, a headstrong and charming young woman." Jiu pointed to Yoohyeon's heart.

"But--"

Jiu cut her off. "Who was the one sacrificing herself when we almost failed the mission in the nightclub? It's you, Yoohyeon. You managed to overcome your fear and complete our mission before L and his gang of thugs arrived at the nightclub."

"It's just one of my stupid act so we could get out from there." Yoohyeon tried to deflect her praise.

"Stupid move? Who was it that planned on the spot to trap Hyuk, your ex-boyfriend from getting away even though it scared you sh*tless having to face him alone. You threw caution in the wind when you had to fight him in the pool knowing that you can't swim." Yoohyeon bit her lips and remained silent as she looked down. Jiu softly patted her shoulder in assurance, making Yoohyeon glance up at her.

"Agent Kim Yoohyeon that I know is an intelligent person. Who managed to think of better strategies in last-minute which I even struggle to do. You're scary smart and downright terrifying when you're in your element Yoohyeon." Jiu said her final words, able to lift her friend's spirits to bring her friend back from doubting herself.

"So, still thinking that you're not good enough?" she asked.

Yoohyeon shooked her head and smiled. "Thanks, Jiu."

"Good." Jiu felt relieved that her words worked on Yoohyeon. Their moment of bonding ended when both of them heard a growling sound... and it came from Yoohyeon's stomach.

"Hehe, sorry. I didn't feed my tummy yet." She grinned but at the same time she felt embarrassed.

"Go order food delivery. I will pay," said Jiu.

"Yahoo!" Yoohyeon quickly took out her phone and started dialing a food delivery service.

"And make it two servings because I still haven't eaten yet," added Jiu as she turned back to the television.

"Eh? Don't the staff here bring you some food to eat? I could call for them if you want?"

Jiu eyed her guiltily. "The food here is tasteless." Jiu frowned, as she really hated the food they served.

"See! You know how I feel when I was in the hospital," Yoohyeon exclaimed and Jiu just chuckled.

_____________

4:45 pm

Done for the day, Dami walked out from her office and went straight to the elevator, pushing the button to go down. The elevator arrived at level 9 and the door opened. Walking inside she pushed the 'G' button and the door slid back closed.

As soon as she reached the ground level, she swiftly walked out and headed out from the headquarters. She went to the parking area which was just nearby and went to her car.

"Dami!" Someone called her loudly and she turned around as she saw Matthew coming up to approach her.

"You're going right now?" he asked her and she just nodded. Then, Dami saw her fiance's face changed in anxiousness.

"What's wrong, Matt?" she asked him.

"I...I just worry about you," he finally let out.

"Why? Because I'm gonna die?" Dami tried to joke around with him.

Matthew gritted his teeth at that. "Stop joking around! You do know this mission is very dangerous!" Dami looked at the worry in Matthew's expression but she didn't want to make him worry about her. This was the dangers of being an agent and she could not run away from her duty.

"I-I'm sorry that I yelled at you. I-I just don't want to--" Matthew words was cut off as Dami gave a soft peck on his lips.

She let it go and cupped his face. "I will be fine. I will see you tonight, okay?" she smiled and dropped her hands from his face. She turned around and went inside her car. Starting the car engine, she waved at her fiance before driving out from the headquarters. Leaving behind Matthew as her car sped off, and his heart still couldn't help but feel apprehensive for her mission.

-------------------

"Alright everyone. Meet Agent Dami from NiTE Agency. She will conduct our team for our mission tonight." The commander introduced Dami to the elite police officers.

"Agent Dami. Pleasure to meet you." Dami bowed.

"So, any questions you guys wanna ask?" Dami started as she asked the officers and one of the officers raised his hand.

"Sir, why is that a short girl is leading our team?" he asked, as other officers in the room hid their laugh by coughing.

"Officer Kwon, be respectful. Miss Dami is one of the best elite agent in NiTE Agency and a member of Dreamcatcher squad which is under Madam Yoona's team."

"Yeah, I have heard that the Dreamcatcher squad is the best team of that agency but... how far have they been?" The rest of them broke out in laughter and smirked.

Dami cut off their noise. "You sure like to talk nonsense out of your mouth, do you officer?" Then, she stepped forward and approached Officer Kwon, as he laughingly looked down at her.

"What about we have a one-on-one? Just thirty seconds fight. If I lose, I will withdraw from this mission and you will lead your team." Dami offered him a fight as she put on her best smirk.

"Okay. I accept your challenge, sweetheart." The officer agreed and accepted her challenge. Dami turned around and walked to the front.

"Almost forgot." She stopped and turned back. "If you lose, you have to quit your job and never step foot into this office."

"Hah! There's no way I will be defeated by you, Miss Dami." The officer guffawed. Dami kept the smile on her face and walked to the front.

"So it's a deal then. Now, let's clear this place." The officers quickly cleared the room and moved the tables and chairs to the side as they let the middle of the room empty.

"Alright, here are the rules: There are no rules. The person who knocks out the opponent is the winner." The commander explained the rules to both of them.

"I like that," Dami nodded.

"And so do I," said the officer, as he succeeded to crack his knuckles. Both of them went to the middle and had a quick warm-up.

"So, what do you master in martial arts, Miss Dami?" started Officer Kwon.

"Hmm... Kendo," Dami said shortly.

"Just one? Pfftt hahaha," the officer was laughing along with the rest of his group, except for the commander. He seemed to be in a lot more somber mood. Of course, who wouldn't, when a group of professionally trained officers decided to act like school bullies in recess.

"Yeah, I always got that same reaction." Dami maintained her calm face.

The officer turned around and glanced at his commander. "Sir, how can she be one of the best elite agents if she masters only one martial art? It even needs a weapon." The commander didn't reply his question.

"What about you, Officer Kwon?" he turned around as Dami asked him.

"I've mastered three martial arts. Taekwando, Judo and Karate." He boasted with his chest lifted high.

"Hmm, so that's why you laughed at me."

"Don't you wanna prep yourself with a weapon? I mean... you only mastered in Kendo so you must not be good with fists."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm not that good with fists so that's why I'm using this." Dami loosened her tie and took it off from around her collar.

"A necktie? Are you kidding me?" The officer thought she was messing with him.

"This tie is more powerful than a Kendo stick," she said.

"Whatever the woman chooses..." The officer let the matter down. Would be her loss if she was beaten.

After they were done with some warm up, they went to the opposite sides to get ready.

"Ready..."

"Fight!" As the commander commenced the fight, Officer Kwon quickly pounced towards Dami in one big stride but Dami predicted his movements and quickly avoided. Officer Kwon then threw his fist to her face but Dami blocked with her arms. He threw punches and kicks, but all his attack was either blocked or avoided. Dami on the other hand, hadn't thrown any blows towards the officer.

"Are you scared, Miss Dami? Come on, show your skills as the elite member of Dreamcatcher to us!" Officer Kwon mocked her as he swiped a low kick making her jump back.

"Alright, play time's over." Dami finally made her move as she lashed her tie making it wrap around his neck.

"What the?!" The movement was done in just a blink of an eye before Dami pulled him down and struck him with her knee. The officer groaned in pain as his nose burst out bleeding. Dami didn't stop there as she kicked his back downwards, smacking him down on the floor. She placed her knee in the middle of his back and wrapped the tie around his neck.

The others were too shocked to realize what was happening until they realized their team member was lying on the floor. It was over in twenty seconds, as they stared at him choking from a tie.

"Why I decided to choose a tie, is because most of my enemies had been choked to death like this." Dami smirked evilly as she proceeded to tighten her hold.

"And... you're gonna feel how death tastes like with this tie, you ing assh*le." She choked him harder and the officer was struggling to get released. Unfortunately for him, Dami's hold was too strong. As he already became weak because of lack of oxygen. The other officers around them couldn't move to stop Dami as they were all frightened with her, including the commander.

Dami finally let go of her hold on Officer Kwon from her tie when he didn't show any sign of moving. Most likely so as his mouth started bubbling. "Don't worry, he's not dead yet," Dami said as she stood up.

"Miss Dami... win." The commander announced the winner of the thirty second fight. The others stared gobsmacked at her and then glanced at their member's unmoving body. They were all wrong about Dami, whom they all thought that a petite woman was weak and couldn't manage to cooperate with them.

Dami tied her tie around her neck and put her suit back on. "So, is there any other of you who still doesn't agree and underestimates me as a ing elite agent?" She stared them down and all of them couldn't meet her eyes.

"I'd rather quit than to have that kind of attitude. In our company, agents who don't respect other agents especially women or juniors, we call them ing scraps. They might have some skills that can be used in combat but if they don't respect other agents, there would be no loss of esteem for them. So, do you guys still want to be like him?!" Dami pointedly looked at their unconscious member.

"No, Miss Dami!" shouted the other officers.

"Good. Now, rearrange this place back to normal." They all quickly arranged the chairs and tables back to their places.

"And please throw this dead rat out. Wasting my ing time to plan out our mission." Dami told the commander.

"Yes, Miss Dami." The commander bowed and asked two of the officers to take the unconscious Officer Kwon out of the room.

Dami buttoned her black suit over her white shirt as the officers finished putting the furniture back to its usual place.

"Now, let's discuss our strategies for tonight."

End Of Chapter 44.