The agents are rustling in the underground space where there are no windows for sunlight to creep in. Ka Eun stands with her arms crossed in front of her and her eyebrows creased. Eunbi walks up next to her and shows Ka Eun her phone. “Another one just dropped.” Ka Eun takes the phone to get a closer read.

New Kim Princess exercising privilege in a club on the public dance floor.

“Using the private Kim Corp army to intimidate people coming close to her, demanding her own space for her own party.” Ka Eun reads out the subtext in the headline. “So we are a private army now?” She rolls her eyes and hands it back. 

Eunbi frowns as well, scrolling back to the main homepage to see the first article that started the whole morning’s mayhem.

New Kim Daughter has a secret - going into the Men’s bathroom!

The scandalising headline accompanies a photo of Sakura walking into the Men’s when she was at the orphanage. Jinwoo, the little boy, who was with her is not seen in the photograph presumably because he went in first. That is why the photo can be taken out of context especially when accompanied by a misleading headline. 

“Please tell me more of these fake news are not going to come out.” Mrs Kim’s voice alerts the room full of agents in their underground tech room. Ka Eun walks to meet Mr and Mrs Kim in the middle. “It’s trending!” The older woman is upset for her daughter being dragged like that.

Mr Kim looks worriedly at his wife before controlling his expression to speak to Ka Eun. “I have already called the various heads of the media outlets myself. I wouldn’t deny making some verbal threats for them publishing these manipulated truths. The good thing is they relented but the bad thing is they can’t take out these articles without appearing to be pandering to us. I insisted on an apology so to balance the situation, they will make an amendment to the articles, properly clarifying what really happened. The company has also issued a statement so that will be included in. But that being said, we can’t keep plugging if these keep popping out.”

The man is right because the root cause is what’s needed to be weeded out. Everybody in the room already knows who the people behind are. “This is in line with what I found out after my outside meeting with an informant, they are ramping up the campaign against Kim Corp and the family again. They found other ways to hurt because of a smart man who cemented himself as leader.”

Ka Eun turns to Eunbi who steps up with a folder in hand. The Captain hands it to Mr Kim.

Lee Sungkyu, the name sits blatantly at the top of the file. The man who threw eggs at Sakura and came after them at the gala dinner.

“We can’t be sitting ducks.” Mr Kim says as he reads through the document. The uneasy feeling only grows as he reads.

Ka Eun nods in agreement. “For now, our tech team is looking to trace where the source of the fake news came from, if we find the IP address we can hopefully find where they are basing their physical operations. It will take time because their IP addresses are purposefully masked by routing everywhere.” 

“However, hitting them at their physical location is not feasible in the long run if we don't catch the man. Which is why...” Ka Eun turns to look at Eunbi. “Captain is specifically tasked to get him.”

Eunbi’s body frame may be small and seems harmless but Mr and Mrs Kim know Ka Eun is discerning with her judgement. After all, the Captain did have a good track record thus far.

“Their cult, yes I am calling them a cult, stepped past physical protest when the man became leader.” Mr Kim hands the folder back to Eunbi. “You need to get him.”

“I let him get away twice, I do not intend on doing that again.” Eunbi’s eyes are burning with determination. Nobody can hurt the family and in particular, Sakura. “We will take their operations down once and for all.”

Mrs Kim takes a step closer to Eunbi and the agent can see the creases on her face, her worries obvious. “I admire your work attitude and can see your skills, Captain. While it’s best you get him, just know it is also okay if you missed him. He got away previously because you had to choose. So if it happens again…” Mrs Kim’s voice audibly mellows down, unable to complete her sentence.

“Then I will always choose Sakura.” 

Eunbi completes Mrs Kim’s sentence which is heard loud and clear by everybody in the room. She meant it with all her heart more than anybody realized - possibly even herself.

Assured by Eunbi’s conviction, Sakura’s mother visibly relaxes. A mother’s worry will always be there, especially one heightened in this unknown scenario; but knowing her daughter is protected by the best security team in Korea, the mother can only continue loving her daughter with all her heart, hoping nothing ever hurts her.

“Thank you Captain.” Sakura’s mother smiles and it is uncanny to her daughter’s, Eunbi notes. “By the way, I told her not to go to school today. Call me overprotective but I don’t want her to deal with people in school gossiping over something that is not true. This is already so foreign for her, I don’t want to make it worse.”

--

Minjoo agrees with her stepmother that it is best for Sakura to not head to school. Of all people, Minjoo knows the best on what it’s like to have unwanted attention, to be under scrutiny. The time after her mother’s death was the worst, everybody wanted to ‘know’ how she was doing. Frustrated for her older sister, Minjoo locks her phone and pockets it in time for her arrival to school. Minjoo gets out of the car. As expected, Chaewon is already waiting. “Do you mind if we go back to the usual routine of me walking you to class?”

Minjoo grins at Chaewon’s considerate self. “Of course.” 

They took the longer route up to class because Minjoo wanted to get a can of soft drink from the vending machine near the field. Chaewon smiles at the girl who is enjoying her drink gleefully before taking a sip of her own. To get up to class from the field, they had to pass the extracurricular activities room where students like to hang out. Given how it is so close to class starting for the day, they don’t expect to be hearing voices coming from inside.

“Rich and famous, look where it got the family. That Sakura can still bravely defend Kim Minjoo against me that time, seems like she is the one who needs more than a defense this time. A hidden creep who abuses her newfound wealth!” Minjoo stops in her tracks. She can recognise that voice anywhere. Na Eun.

“If her mother didn’t marry the richest man in Korea, could she have all the luxury she has now?” Minjoo frowns at the realisation that more than just Na Eun in the room having such ridiculous thoughts. She simmers in silence, hearing the entire conversation play out.

“Yeah! Like using her pet agent to scare people off in the club. I thought KIS is supposed to be the best, since when are its agents such followers?” Minjoo and Chaewon meet eyes, injustice evident in them. But it is only going to get worse. 

“Well there must be something toxic there. Look at Minjoo and her agent. Chaewon, was it? Have you seen the way she is around Minjoo? I bet if Minjoo tells her to kill someone she will definitely do it. No surprise to see Sakura and her agent like that too!” Na Eun breaks into laughter which provokes Minjoo over the edge. Chaewon can see the fury in Minjoo’s eyes and even though her eyes are still on hers, it is obvious Minjoo’s mind isn’t.

Sakura stood up for her that time, this time she will too - Minjoo will protect everyone precious to her.

“I like to see you repeat everything again.” Minjoo pushes the door wide open.

Na Eun and her friends are shocked to see Minjoo in the room. Chaewon is right behind her but it is Minjoo’s glare that really scares them for every brainless comment they were making. “W-what. So we can’t v-voice our thoughts just because we aren’t a Kim? Money can’t buy you everything you know.”

“Even if you had all the money in the world, I doubt it would buy you some intelligence.” Minjoo is unrestrained in her words. There is no point playing nice to someone like Na Eun anymore.

“Everything I have been saying is true! It’s everywhere in the headlines!’ Her eyes glean over to the agent behind Minjoo and then she smirks. “Unless you are more bothered by something else… it is not even surprising even your ‘sister’ learnt something with you on that. I know Jung Wonho too and I heard he is going to use today’s headlines as a way to get back. Sue that Captain for what she did to him that night! Good thing Hitomi finally learnt to distance herself from you.” Na Eun’s smirk remains confidently on her face. “We all have eyes to see what is going on since last week.”

“Who said I am distancing myself?”

Hitomi volunteers for some of the school management activities and today happens to be her turn to make rounds on campus to make sure everybody is in their respective classrooms on time. She makes a turn into the corridor and that is when she hears the loud argument. 

“I am not going to speak for everything else but one thing I can is that you got our friendship wrong, Na Eun. Probably something you should learn, on top of understanding that everything is more than black and white, more than what’s written in the headlines.”

Na Euni is unhappy that it didn’t play out to maximal damage but she knows she can’t win this war of words. Ending this here still leaves her with some win so she picks up her bag and walks shamelessly to the exit, only for Chaewon to not move from her spot. The agent is right at the door, there is only a thin gap for anyone to move through.

“Excuse me.” Na Eun forces herself to say, admittedly Chaewon does scare her. Yet all Chaewon does is to look at her with a side eye, her body unwavering. 

Na Eun is not getting out easily, she knows that. Pushing the agent aside would be like moving a wall, KIS training is that infamous. Therefore the only way out is humiliating, Na Eun squeezes herself through the small gap, all while praying Chaewon doesn’t grab and pull her back. 

Chaewon stands like a rock even as Na Eun’s friends get out the same way and they all run away like mice the moment they are free. Chaewon takes a step out to see that they are gone before looking back at the two friends. It is clear they have something to talk about so she decides to give them some privacy. 

“She’s being unreasonable, you don’t have to care about her.” Hitomi starts. When she saw the news this morning, it rings so familiar to what Minjoo had to go through when her mother passed. A different daughter but it is the same family after all. 

“Still it hurts to hear… it was just me you know dealing with all these but now it’s Sakura unnie too and then she brought up the agents…”

“Which you and I know is not as simple as she described. Chaewon unnie, Eunbi unnie, protecting you guys is their duty first and foremost. Whatever Na Eun may think of it.”

“Thanks Hii.” Minjoo says wholeheartedly at her friend’s comforting words but once the conversati