It seemed like a good idea, then, to Sojung when her and Haseul planned out a combined camping trip. But the further she thought about it, twenty five girls in the wilderness was kind of a recipe for disaster. But, it was too late now. 

 

They were gathered out front of the Busan headquarters. They were going to take two vans up to the campsite, splitting the task forces into each of the vans to encourage their teams to form a bond. Or at least that’s what Sojung hoped for most. It didn’t hurt to have the other task force as an ally.

 

The forensic and tech units were put into one van, while combat and detective unit were put into the other one. Sojung was glad to see that some of the members were familiar and getting along with each other already. Their van was already shaking with noise and a friendly competition of arm wrestling. She glanced behind her to address Haseul, who looked just as amused about all the ruckus.

 

“Is it just me or are you regretting this trip already?”

 

“Oh, it’s definitely not just you.”

 

Sojung scanned the van once more, displeased to see a certain someone sitting way up front with the blonde she came to know as Jinsoul. It seemed like she was avoiding having to interact with the others.

 

There must be a reason, a really good reason, that Haseul would ever recruit the girl who flipped Sojung’s world upside down. She was convinced all these years that she played a part in her father’s disappearance and was never innocent, but she could never find concrete proof.

 

She hopes they don’t have to cross paths at the camp site.

 

 

Dayoung quickly bonds with a member of the detective unit that happens to be the same age as her, Kim Jungeun. It wasn’t often that she met someone her age in the field, but what shocked her more is that they had a member who was younger than them by a year, Jeon Heejin.

 

She smirks when she deduces pretty quickly on who has the hots for who. Things like this kept her mind entertained for the long car ride, but she had the whole trip to figure everyone out.

 

Dayoung looked across the aisle to Jiyeon with her headphones in, smiling softly at Juyeon who threw a fist in the air after winning an intense round of rock paper scissors with the other members of the combat unit.

 

She turned back to address her fellow detectives, stopping before she says anything when she sees Heejin shyly looking in Hyunjin’s direction. Hyunjin was the girl Juyeon had talked to her about, raving about how she was such a good sparring partner.

 

Huh. She really thought Heejin would be more into the serious, non goofy types.

 

Jungeun seems to have caught onto Dayoung’s train of thought as she looks at who her eyes are shifting between. A grin forms on her face as she leans in to whisper into Dayoung’s ear.

 

“She has the fattest crush on her.”

 

 

Halfway through the ride, someone whipped out a guitar and started to strum. All eyes land on Haseul. Sojung’s eyes light up while the rest of her team members stare at the other leader curiously.

 

Childhood memories flashed of her and Haseul, where she played the piano while Haseul strummed away on a guitar that was far too big for the then small girl. It was a welcome distraction from the looming nightmare surrounding her father’s shady lifestyle.

 

“It’s time for some campfire songs!”

 

Jungeun playfully scoffs and speaks up. “We’re not even there yet.”

 

Another strum came from the opposite side of the van, this time from Heejin. “I’m with you, Haseul!”

 

An idea pops into Dayoung’s head. “Care for a friendly sing-off?”

 

 

The other van, holding the tech and forensics unit of both teams, is awfully quiet. Half of them are asleep, and the other half on gaming devices or laptops, tapping away codes for fun. The air was harmonious even when none of them spoke.

 

Yeonjung peeked over the seat in front of her, noticing Luda slamming her keys haphazardly to try and destroy some monster creeping up towards her game character. The girl next to her was playing a similar game, although it seemed like she was having a successful run.

 

She cleared , grabbing her teammates attention after she had slammed her laptop shut out of frustration.

 

“We should talk.” Luda rested her head back onto the seat, looking up at the younger girl. “We still need to comb through the info on the usb.”

 

The shorter girl peeked around. “Right now? How come we can’t do it after the camping trip?” Yeonjung nervously tapped her foot. There was a certain feeling she would always get whenever she felt like she had obtained crucial information. Her gut instincts were right nine out of ten times.

 

She was feeling it now. There was something on the hard drive that was important and that they needed to know as soon as possible.

 

“Yes, I need your help.”

 

 

Jiyeon’s eyes fluttered open, feeling a sudden weight on her shoulder. She was a light sleeper, always being on edge and all. It was rare when she would get a good rest without any interruptions, but Juyeon made nights easier. She tried to look around the van without moving her body to disturb her girlfriend.

 

Sojung and Hyunjung were speaking lowly, and Jiyeon could tell by the looks on their faces that it was an argument. Years worth of being by their side, she knew when the couple had tense vibes between them. Now that she thought about it, things hadn’t been going well between the two since they got to Busan.

 

Her eyes raked over the other members of the Busan task force, breaking a small smile at Dayoung making friends. She landed on long, blonde locks. Jiyeon thought back to a random memory where she had blonde hair for a short period of time. Maybe she should try it again.

 

Sooyoung was sitting next to the blonde girl. Things were weird, Jiyeon thought Sooyoung was shady. Not just because Sojung said so, but that there was something the girl was hiding, that much was true.

 

When Sooyoung saw her while she boarded the van, a look flashed across her face. It was almost like she already knew who Jiyeon was. That she was a part of Sojung’s task force.

 

Despite Sojung telling her she could stop, Jiyeon decided to look further into Sooyoung. Her record was clean, too clean, but that was just on paper. She spent a day walking around town, asking the elderly, kids, employees, on what kind of person she was. Of course she did all this discreetly.

 

But you can only be so discreet in a small town.

 

 

“Luda, have you ever seen a code like this?” The girl in question shook her head, a grave look on her face. “What do you think it could mean?”

 

“Not anything good.”

 

On the screen, there was a file pulled up with a bunch of numbers. To a normal person’s eye, it would look completely random, but to a hacker’s eye, it was a beautiful code. All Luda knew was that if it was this well crafted, it was bad news.

 

“I’ll get started on a decoding algorithm.”

After a couple clicks on her keyboard, she heard someone speak up behind them.

 

“Don’t bother. I know what the code means.” Luda froze, Yeonjung turning her head to the small voice. Wide eyes and blonde hair peaked over the seat, smile wide as she looked down at their laptops.

 

“I’m Chaewon.”

 

 

“Meiqi, I said I was sorry.” The girl in question had her eyes shut and arms crossed. There was no way she was going to succumb to Dawon’s puppy eyes and pout. That was her weakness, something that would break her.

 

“Don’t talk to me for the rest of the trip.”

 

Dawon gasped, but it was playful, much to Meiqi’s annoyance. “The camping trip? Or the whole trip in general?” Meiqi swatted in the air, frustration lining her brows.

 

“Make it the rest of the entire trip!”

 

Juyeon stared at her unit members from across the van. The vibes were all wrong between Meiqi and Dawon, and she hoped it wouldn’t affect how they worked.

 

They were pulling up to the campsite. Juyeon nudged Jiyeon awake, knowing full well that her girlfriend wasn’t actually asleep. They filed off the bus, coming face to face with the rest of their teams from the other van.

 

 

Xuanyi sat on a log, scowling as she watched the Busan tech unit set up their “glamping” tent, fully equipped with laptops, a tv, a proper bed, and a mini fridge. How are they even powering everything?

 

She looked over to her right, seeing Sojung struggling to keep their small tent upright. Xuanyi heaved out a sigh, throwing the small stick in her hand to the ground and resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

 

“Hey, boss. Need some help?”

 

Sojung didn’t even look up, her eyes focused on the task in front of her. Xuanyi had never been camping before, never ever set up a tent either, but she was willing to help to take them out of their misery.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yes! Now go help someone else!”

 

Whew. Sojung sure was stubborn when she wanted to be, Xuanyi thought teasingly. She moved towards the campfire, approaching one of the Busan members to introduce herself.

 

“Hey, I’m Xuanyi.”

 

The girl looked up from the fire she just started, raising her eyebrow in curiosity. “Are you Chinese?” Xuanyi nodded slowly, wondering why she was asking. “Vivi, I’m also Chinese!”

 

Xuanyi smiled, elated that she found yet another person to bond with. She looked around to see if she could find Xiao and Meiqi. “We have more Chinese members!”

 

Vivi pouted, being the only foreign member on her team felt kind of lonely sometimes, but her members tried hard to make her feel at home. “It’s just me on our team.” Xuanyi frowned, reaching out to grab Vivi’s hand, instantly feeling a connection.

 

“You have us now!” Vivi giggled at how easily Xuanyi seemed to have accepted her. Maybe they do things differently up in Seoul. Busan seemed a bit more hardcore.

But she was happy to have been welcomed anyway.

 

 

After setting up her own tent with Jiyeon Juyeon went to go offer some help setting up Hyunjin and Jinsol’s tent. They looked completely lost, all the bars sticking out of the tent in weird ways. She couldn’t help but laugh at the two. Juyeon can definitely vibe with them.

 

“How about you guys just sit and watch me, the master, do it.” She said with her chest puffed out. They gladly let her take over and within ten minutes, their tent was set up.

 

Hyunjin bounced up and clapped gleefully while Jinsol had an impressed look on her face. “Well done, master.” She mocked teasingly, earning a swat on the shoulder from Juyeon. 

 

The three of them entered the semi big tent and took a seat on the blanket they lazily tossed on. “You guys should visit the city some time and check out our gym, I’m sure it beats the small one you guys go to now.”

 

“It’s been a while since we’ve been there.” Hyunjin wistfully whispered, her eyes focusing on her feet. Her chin was placed on her knees as she hugged her legs close to her. “Pretty much half the team moved down here from Seoul.”

 

Jinsol hummed in agreement and the atmosphere turned a bit somber. Juyeon was curious though. “What made you guys move?”

 

Hyunjin looked up at Jinsol, signaling with her eyes that she can speak first. “I met Sooyoung by chance in the city, and she told me they were recruiting.” The blonde coughed awkwardly at Hyunjin raising her eyebrows. That definitely wasn’t the full story, but Juyeon didn’t notice the exchange.

 

“Heejin and I traveled to Busan a lot.” There was a lot these girls were holding back, Juyeon quickly figured out, but she was fine with not pushing them about it.

 

“Well, when you guys do visit, drinks are on me.” Juyeon grinned, earning two big, goofy smiles back.

 

 

The night was still young, but all the tents were finally set up and the two teams were gathered around a rather large bonfire. Everyone was seated next to each other in a circle pretty randomly. The guitars were brought back out, music drifting into the background while the members conversed amongst each other.

 

Sojung looked around at each one of her team members. She never really thought to bring them back to her hometown, but here they were. It was bittersweet, the reason why she was there in the first place, but she was glad the team had her back. Her eyes trailed over the fire and into a set of eyes staring right back at her.

 

The summers in Busan were overwhelmingly hot, this year was no exception. Sojung loved how the sun didn’t set until after nine o’clock. The sunsets seemed to last for hours. She was taking her daily stroll through the streets in front of her neighborhood, lazily checking up and down the alleyways for stray cats she could feed table scraps. Until she heard hushed yelling around the corner.

 

She hid around the corner market and peeked her head around. There were three figures, girls, and one she knew immediately. Sojung strained her ears to figure out what they were talking about, and she had a feeling it wasn’t good by the look on Sooyoung’s face. 

 

“You know what you have to do.” One of the hooded figures said in an accent she couldn’t pinpoint. It sounded like she was from a foreign country, but still Korean? Sojung scooted a little closer, as if it would help more. 

 

The figure to the left spoke up, she had solid pronunciation, but she wasn’t from Busan. “You have until-“ The brick Sojung was standing on top of loosened and slipped right from under her, causing them to halt their conversation. “We’ll be in contact.” And before Sojung could stand back up, embarrassed, only her friend was left remaining, as if the other two had disappeared into thin air.

 

Sooyoung just stared at her, a lift of her eyebrows, and turned to leave. Sojung scratched her head, endless questions running around in her mind, but she knew better not to ask. Sooyoung was her best friend, yet there was a mysterious way about her Sojung could never quite figure out. 

 

Sojung sighed and got up from her spot, stepping away from the festivities and into the forest near her tent. She looked up at the sky and awed over the millions of stars she was never able to see back in Seoul. “Hey, what’s up?” Sojung eyes closed at the sound of her wife’s soft voice. “And before you say nothing, just know that I could see right through it. I don’t have to be a detective to notice that you’ve had a lot on your mind since we got here.”

 

The air around them blew, rustling the tree branches above them. It was eerily quiet on the outskirts of their campsite, even though they were being quite boisterous next to the campfire. Sojung juggled the thought of coming clean or giving up another excuse, but there would be no reason for all of that.

Just as she was about to lay out all her truths to Hyunjung, her phone pinged with a text. Her eyebrows furrowed as she pulled up a message from Yeonjung. Her wife sighed, defeatedly with a hint of annoyance, and wandered back to the others.

 

Need to talk. Emergency.

 

Sojung looked up from her phone and notice something whizzing by in her peripheral, and then a loud crunch noise in the distance. Her eyes widened, realizing that something was terribly wrong. 

 

 

Yeonjung and Luda had talked to Chaewon the entire time since they started speaking on the bus. The three hacker nerds had lots in common and much to talk about, but the code they found had been weighing on Yeonjung’s mind.

 

“Chaewon, you said you’ve seen this code before?”

 

The blonde girl’s smile suddenly faded into a soft look of worry. “I know that our team sees it every now and then, but we’ve never been able to trace it back to the person. It’s a sort of signature.” Then her face changed into a look of curiosity. “Where did you guys find it?”

 

Luda was about to answer when Yeonjung quickly interjected. “Hey Chaewon, do you want another s’more? Luda and I will go grab the marshmallows!”

 

Yeonjung dragged Luda to the other side of the meeting circle. “What was that all about?” The smaller girl scoffed out. The younger girl swiftly observed their surroundings, noticing Sojung and Hyunjung talking near the forest.

 

“If the Busan task force can’t trace it, what makes you think we can?” Yeonjung rolled her eyes at the smug look on Luda’s face. “Don’t say anything.” The shorter girl shrugged and grabbed a pack of marshmallows to take back to the Chaewon.

 

Yeonjung stood their for a minute in deep thought. If the code was some sort of signature of the criminal, and the Busan task force has seen it around more than once... But they found the code snooping around evidence surrounding Sojung’s father’s disappearance? Does that mean they criminals who were involved back then are still active now? Piece by piece, it clicked in Yeonjung’s mind.

 

 

Sojung calmly made it back over to the campfire, grabbing Yeonjung and pulling her aside. “I got your text, but make it quick, we’ve got company.”

 

The younger girl looked at her with wide eyes. “That’s just it, Sojung. I think I have an idea who.”

 

Sojung gave Yeonjung instructions and waved Jiyeon over. “Tell me later, but for now, try and get everyone back onto the buses.” She watched as Yeonjung gathered up some of the girls. She caught Juyeon’s confused eyes just as Yeonjung approached her for help.

 

“What’s up?” Jiyeon asked, flipping around to follow Sojung’s eyes as she scanned the perimeter.

 

“Please tell me you brought your weapon.” Jiyeon reached down to pull up her pants, revealing a gun strapped to her ankle.

 

A dark feeling swirled around in the pit of Jiyeon’s stomach at Sojung’s blank face and calculating eyes. She watched as she popped into her tent, coming out with a smoke bomb and her weapon. “Why did you bring that?!”

 

Sojung shrugged, “in case of an emergency?”

Jiyeon’s left eyebrow lifted up, finally coming to the conclusion that something was definitely wrong.

 

“How many?”

 

“Two, but I have a feeling they have back up.”

 

 

Yeonjung and Juyeon got their teammates and the Busan task force back onto one of the buses, confusion swirling around them. Juyeon turned to Yeonjung and spoke in a low voice. “What’s going on?”

 

With their heads turned away, Sooyoung snuck off the bus, and back onto the campsite, with Haseul following close behind unbeknownst to her.

 

“Sojung said were about to be ambushed, I’ll get everyone back to Busan headquarters, grab Dayoung and go help them out.” The tall girl nodded and bounded down the stairs of the bus with the young detective.

 

Jiyeon dumped a bucket of water over the fire, wiping out their light source. Without the moon shining down on them through the rustling tree branches, it would have been pitch black outside. They were taking their sweet time ambushing them, or was Sojung just paranoid? Was what she saw a mistake?

 

Just as soon as she questioned her best friend’s instincts, a grenade rolled ten feet to the left of her. Jiyeon felt a hand wrap around her upper arm, pulling her into the bushes nearby and hovering over her in protection.

 

The explosion made the ground shake and their ears ring. “Are you okay?” Jiyeon strained to hear none other than Juyeon right behind her. She nodded quickly and they looked across the campsite to see Dayoung and Sojung together. Not soon after, there were gunshots raining down on them. Jiyeon squinted towards the source, seeing Sooyoung running in the distance. She was heading in the direction of where their attackers would be.

 

“Holy crap.”

 

Sojung feels a body dive in next to her. “Haseul?! What are you doing, get back to the bus!” The short haired girl scoffed, raising her voice over all the noise of the gunfire.

 

“I was following Sooyoung!” Haseul pointed ahead of them. “And this is my jurisdiction!” Sojung followed her line of sight, her blood running cold at the sight of Sooyoung heading straight into the crossfire.

 

Without thinking, she got up and ran after her.

 

 

After a few moments of straight gunfire coming down on them, it was silent. Sojung finally reached an open section of the forest a couple hundred feet from their campsite. The view in front of her felt oddly familiar, a sense of deja vu. Sooyoung and two hooded figures.

 

Except the two hooded figures had guns pointing at Sooyoung. For the second time that night, Sojung threw all thought out the window and ran in front of Sooyoung.

 

“Well, look who it is.”

 

That accent, Sojung has heard it before.

 

“What are you doing?!” Sooyoung angrily whispered into her ear. Chills ran down her spine. Sojung stayed silent and focused on the girls in front of her.

 

“We came here for Sooyoung.”

 

Again, another familiar voice.

 

“Not without going through me.” Sojung said without a beat. She had no idea what came over her, this sudden need to protect someone she hated for years. But she swore as a detective to keep people safe. And she knew deep down, that Sooyoung wasn’t just anyone to her.

 

They took off their hoods, revealing faces Sojung hadn’t seen in years. Jennie and Jisoo. She should have known, from the accents. Back then, they were just new students at her old school before moving to the academy. She had seen them talk to Sooyoung a couple of times, but it never really looked friendly.

 

Come to think of it, the last time she remembered hearing their voices was in the alleyway with Sooyoung all those summers ago.

 

Sojung felt Sooyoung pushing her aside, but she stood her ground. “Let them take me!”

 

“Not without going through me!”

 

Jisoo sighed, looking slightly irritated. “What a waste of time.” She singsonged while circling around them, swinging her handgun around.

 

Jennie held up her gun and pointed it towards Sojung.

 

“As you wish.”

 

 

Dayoung ran through the woods to catch up to the voices in the distance, a voice that sounded like Sojung’s. And then a gunshot echoed throughout the forest. She picked up the pace when she heard the engine of a truck revving. It was getting away just as she reached the clearing.

 

There was a pool of blood, but no body left behind. She managed to get the license plate number, but she couldn’t get to Sojung in time. She knew they had to act fast if they ever wanted to see their leader again.

 

“Where are they?!” Haseul appeared next to her, worry etched on her face. That’s when it struck Dayoung. Sooyoung was with Sojung. They had each other. 

 

 

Sojung stared out into the ocean. The once tranquil view seemed too tumultuous to her now that her father was gone. Staying in this small town, her neighborhood, felt suffocating. Against her mother’s wishes, she was moving to the city, Seoul. She never thought she would leave her hometown or become one of those people who sought out more in the world, but maybe it was time for a change of mind. Change of scenery. She wished that Busan was enough for her, but it reminded her too much of her father. 

 

“Will we meet again?” She heard a voice from behind her ask. Sojung smiled softly to herself, turning around to face them. 

 

“I’m sure we’ll meet again, Haseul.” And she was sure. That someday their paths will cross. Leaving all the memories and the friends that she has made felt bittersweet, but her future looked like the light at a very long, dark tunnel. 

 

Sojung was ready to join the academy, someplace where she will grow and be taught skills to fight the injustice around them. To have the ability to help people find peace among all the chaos, meant a lot to her. Her father would be proud, she was doing it for him. 

 

 

A door slammed in the distance and a bag was pulled off her head. The throbbing in her leg was like no pain she ever felt, and her vision was blurry. She was out of it.

 

“Sojung!” She heard Sooyoung yell from some distance in front of her. Sojung groaned in response, her head swinging forward. There was a man circling her chair, slowly with heavy steps.

 

He finally paused in front of her and crouched down, reaching her eye level. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” Sojung tried her best to make out the face of the man in front of her, but she could not recognize him. Her spotty vision did not help either. “You can call me Shownu.”

 

The name sounded oddly familiar to her, but her mind was elsewhere. She couldn’t focus on anything but her leg.

 

“Leave her alone!” Sooyoung tried her hardest to shake herself free from the restraints, but to no avail. Shownu didn’t flinch at all, instead he stared harder into Sojung’s blinking eyes.

 

“Where’s your father?”

 

The air around them thickened, and it wasn’t because of the heater that was obviously on full blast. Sojung’s vision cleared and she could see that they were in some sort of warehouse. Sooyoung was ten feet across from her, tied similarly to a chair like she was. She finally looked back at the strange man in front of her.

 

“Huh?”

 

Shownu sighed and heaved himself up, pulling out a gun and staring at it as he flipped it around in his hand. He started to pace back in forth in front of her, tapping the barrel of his gun to his chin as he looked deep in thought.

 

“How about you tell me where your father is, and I don’t shoot your other leg?”

 

“She doesn’t know! Leave her alone!” Sooyoung yelled out once more, furiously rattling in her chair. Nothing was making any sense and it made Sojung feel dizzy. Who was this guy?

 

Shownu finally turned towards Sooyoung, a slight look of annoyance covering his facial features. He twirled his gun and aimed it at her. “Maybe I’ll shoot you if she doesn’t tell me where he is.”

 

 

The second the others caught up to their teams at the Busan headquarters, questions were swarming around.

 

“What the hell happened?”

 

“Where’s Sojung and Sooyoung?”

 

Hyunjung pulled Haseul to the side while Dayoung and Juyeon tried to settle everyone down. “What did she get herself into?” Haseul hesitated and gulped, worry etching into her eyebrows. “Tell me what happened, now.”

 

Just as Haseul was about to open to explain, Jiyeon pulled Hyunjung away. “What the hell, Jiyeon?!”

 

“It’s bad, Hyunjung.” The look on her friend’s face was grim. She had never seen Jiyeon this serious, and the girl was always serious.

 

“Alright, everyone, listen up!” Haseul bellowed among the chaos. “Tech and forensics, you guys stay behind and be our eyes and ears.” The short haired girl glanced at Hyunjung, looking away quickly, almost as if she was scared of her. “Combat unit, detectives, follow Jiyeon.” The Busan task force leader watched as everyone dispersed.

 

Just as Hyunjung reached the entrance, she was pulled back by a soft grip on her wrist. “You have to stay here.” Haseul’s voice was so gentle, it almost swayed Hyunjung.

 

“Im going with!” She tried to fight the leader, but she wasn’t budging. It came across her mind that Haseul was the head of the task force for a reason. “She’s my wife.” Her eyes started to well with tears. She was going to kill Sojung herself for getting into this mess if she wasn’t gone already.

 

She had to go.

 

 

Another door slammed, but it was followed by a round of gunshots this time. Jisoo ran in, frantically shooting back with her automatic weapons. Sojung was still fading in and fading out, but Sooyoung was high on alert.

 

“Boss, the FBI is here.” Jisoo loudly warned Shownu, who looked very displeased about what was going on. He looked at the girls who were restrained and pondered for a moment. “Boss, please, we got to go now! They already got Jennie.”

 

Sojung had no idea who called in the cavalry, but she was thanking the heavens above for the perfect timing of it all. It almost seemed too good to be true. Maybe she was started to hallucinate from the amount of pain her body was in.

 

“Until next time, ladies.” Shownu’s words sent chills down their spines. And without another word, the two crooks left through the back door the moment the FBI barged into the warehouse.

 

The next few moments were a blur. Sojung felt a needle in her neck, and what sounded like a shriek coming from Sooyoung before her eye sight faded into complete darkness.

 

 

Sojung’s eyes fluttered open. She was staring at a white ceiling that felt too bright, but the walls around her were just as white, if not brighter than the ceiling. She was laying on a hospital bed. Restrained. But her leg was all wrapped up and she only felt a slight numbness throughout her body.

 

She looked to her left, spotting Sooyoung in a regular bed, staring right back at her. “You’re awake.” Sojung groaned as she tried to sit up. Her head felt like a two ton weight was crushing it.

 

Before the girls could exchange more words, a man in a white doctor’s coat walked in. “We apologize for the dramatics. We just had to be cautious.”

 

“Where are we?”

 

“FBI safe house, or hospital, I guess.” The doctor said without looking up from the clipboard in his hand. “You took a pretty bad shot to the leg, but we got there just in time to save it from irreversible damage.”

 

Sojung gaped at the random doctor standing in front of her who relayed the news about her leg. “How did you guys find us?” She heard Sooyoung ask.

 

“You’re going to have to ask him.” Again, without looking up, another man entered the room at the same time the doctor pointed over his shoulder.

 

“Hello, girls.”

 

There was a long pause, a dead silence.

 

“Father?”

 

 

Just as Haseul stepped out of the precinct, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She stared at the message, recognizing the number.

 

We got them. Stand down.

 

She swiveled around, checking the adjacent buildings out of habit. “Guys, hold up.” Hyunjung was the first to appear by her side.

 

“Did something happen? Why are we wasting time?” Jiyeon grasped her shoulder for comfort, but also to hold her back from getting all up in Haseul’s face again.

 

“I’ve just received information on there whereabouts. They are under protection, but for now, we just have to wait.”

 

Everyone started mumbling and whispering, wondering what this whole thing was about. There was too much back and forth, none of it felt legit.

 

“How do you know?” Dayoung questioned after being awfully quiet in the back, just watching everything unfold in front of her. “Is there something you know that we don’t?” 

 

The atmosphere turned uncomfortable and some of the members trickled back into the precinct. Only the detectives of Sojung’s team stayed behind to stare Haseul down.

 

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

 

They continued to stare at her, a bit unnervingly, especially Hyunjung. Haseul sighed and spoke again.

 

“It’s classified.”

 

 

Sojung stared at the man in front of her. It was her father, but fast forwarded nearly a decade. He had grey hair and the wrinkles around his eyes had intensified. But it still felt like seeing a ghost.

 

“How-how is this possible?”

 

He pulled up a chair across from the two of them and sighed. He ran his hand through his hair and looked into Sojung’s eyes. There was tiredness and stress behind his look, but a hint of happiness glistening in them. He glanced towards Sooyoung and gave them a tight lipped smile.

 

“After Sooyoung warned me, I tried to disappear.” He stood from his chair and paced around the room. “Shownu found me, but the FBI managed to save me.”

 

Sojung was reeling from the day’s events, but this was information overload. She turned towards Sooyoung, who had her head down. All this time, Sojung had blamed her childhood friend for her father’s disappearance, when in actuality, she tried to help him. She owed Sooyoung a huge apology.

 

“I’ve been under witness protection ever since.”

 

It explained why he was gone for so long with no trace or communication to their family, but what didn’t make sense was his ties to the mysterious criminals she had the displeasure of meeting.

 

Sojung shifted her attention back to her father, who had sat back down with his arms crossed. “What does Shownu want from you?”

 

He looked deep in thought, uncrossing his arms but clasping his hands instead. The door opened just as he turned his head towards it. The person stayed at the door, watching Sojung’s father carefully. He got up from his chair again and carefully approached the side of the bed.

 

“It was nice to see you again, sweetheart.”

 

Sojung closed her eyes as he gently patted her head. This felt so surreal. She really couldn’t believe it. She opened her eyes when she felt him moving away. She watched as he gave Sooyoung a firm pat on the shoulder.

 

“Thank you, Sooyoung.”

 

And with that, he went out the door. Sojung didn’t know if she’d ever see him again.

 

 

Haseul waited, impatiently, for the dark van to roll to a stop in the back alley of the precinct. She let out a breathe of relief when she saw Sojung and Sooyoung getting out. The second they slid the door shut, the van drove off. Haseul jogged towards them, engulfing them in a huge hug.

 

“We were all worried sick!” Sojung locked eyes with Sooyoung and gave her a small smile, which was returned.

 

“We were fine, Haseul.” Sooyoung said in a soothing tone, patting her leader’s back comfortingly.

 

Haseul broke away from the hug first and her face turned serious. “Let’s go to my office. We have matters to discuss.”

 

Sooyoung and Sojung sat in front of a sleek, black desk. Haseul had framed goofy pictures all around her office. She even had one with the three of them before everything hit the fan.

 

Haseul stayed standing, gripping the back of her cushy chair instead. “A few years ago, I got a call from the FBI.” Sojung leaned forward, interested in what her friend had to say. Sooyoung looked like she already knew what Haseul was talking about.

 

“They found out we were chasing a ghost.” Haseul paused, for dramatic effect probably, Sojung thought to herself. Her friend could be quite theatrical when it came to storytelling. “The same ghost they were chasing.” 

 

Sojung nodded her head to let Haseul know she was following, although she was quite confused as to how it would be relevant to the events that transpired earlier.

 

“They found the ghost’s pawn: Shownu.” One by one, piece by piece, the information lined up in Sojung’s mind. Her father was in hiding because of this mysterious criminal. Someone who desperately wanted something from her father.

 

“What you saw today, at the place you guys were at, we can never speak of it.” Haseul intimidatingly stared down at them. Sojung understood, this was all to protect her father, who clearly had sensitive information. “Am I clear?” Her eyes darted between the two of them.

 

“Crystal-“

 

“-Clear.”

 

A pause. Then a stifled laugh. Then a chorus of giggles. It was the first time Sojung felt relaxed enough to put her guard down. She was finally in a safe place, among friends who had her back, even when she thought they didn’t.

 

“What are you guys laughing at?” Haseul rolled her eyes at the two.

 

Sooyoung let out a gasp of air in between her guffaws. “Am I clear?!” She said in a semi-mocking tone, causing Sojung to snort from laughing so hard.

 

Haseul cracked a smile. “Whatever! You guys are dismissed.”

 

 

It all hadn’t hit Sojung quite as hard until she fell into Hyunjung’s arms. Literally, fell into her arms, since Sooyoung at helping her limp across the lobby. She silently sobbed into her wife’s chest.

 

“I’m so sorry, Hyunjung.” Sooyoung retreated back to her cubicle, giving the couple some space. Years worth of pain, have all come down to this day, and Sojung couldn’t even tell her wife the whole truth of what happened. At least she had Sooyoung and Haseul to talk to.

 

But it was time for Sojung to move on. Move forward, knowing that her father was alive and taken care of. Oh she wishes she could tell her mother.

 

Hyunjung wordlessly rubbed her back, just glad that Sojung is back and out of harms way. She doesn’t know what she would do without her. The team wouldn’t either.

 

 

 

EPILOGUE

 

 

“Meiqi, are you finally going to talk to me now that the trip is over?” Dawon had followed closely behind the younger girl after they arrived to the precinct. “I’m sorry, okay?”

 

Meiqi paused in front of her car, keys in her hand, back facing Dawon. “Honestly, I’m afraid.” She stood and listened, waiting for a rant to come out. “Because all this time, I’ve been hopelessly into you.”

 

Meiqi froze at the admission. She was sure that Dawon didn’t feel the same way about her, at all. This must be a joke, something that’s too good to be true. She felt a hand softly grip her wrist, turning her around and pinning her up against the car.

 

“Meiqi. Will you be my girlfriend?”

 

“I-“

 

“For Christ’s’ sake, please say yes already.” Juyeon seemed to materialize out of thin air from behind the car. Meiqi answered by plunging forward to kiss Dawon.

 

“What a long time coming!” And indeed it has, Juyeon had watched the two over the years pining over each other, but she wanted it to be organic. Something that would eventually happen naturally, not with her meddling in their business. It’s what they deserved.

 

“Come on, silly, let’s get home.” Jiyeon whisked away her tall girlfriend towards her car. She pulled Juyeon down and whispered into her ear. “I’m in desperate need of a bath.”

 

Juyeon stood glued to the parking lot concrete, watching dumbly as Jiyeon sauntered away while throwing back a wink over her shoulder. God, she loved her girlfriend.

 

 

Yeoreum dragged Dayoung into the precinct, claiming that she was just trying to grab something from her desk that she had forgotten. It was half true. She pulled out her bottom drawer, picking up the tiny box hidden underneath files of paper. She swiftly turned around to Dayoung aimlessly looking around the room.

 

Yeoreum drove her mind crazy thinking of ways to go about this, she even asked Jiyeon for advice, and she decided to go on that. The older girl actually told her exactly what to do. Yeoreum never would have pegged the older girl as corny, yet here she was, Yeoreum had to laugh.

 

Her heart was thumping, she wondered if Dayoung could tell. “Babe?” She got on one knee and Dayoung’s eyes widened like saucers.

 

“What... are you doing?”

 

Yeoreum grinned, opening the velvet box to reveal a key. “Will you move in with me?”

 

Dayoung paused, and then let out a laugh that was like music to Yeoreum’s ears. “Of course, you dork!” She joined her girlfriend on the floor and wrapped her up in a hug.

 

“Well, that’s a relief to hear!” Yeoreum felt warm, her heart was warm. And it was all thanks to Dayoung.

 

 

“I knew you were on the case.” Sojung said to Haseul, emitting a sigh from the smaller girl. 

 

“I know you didn’t find the answers you were looking for, but I hope they were enough.” 

 

Sojung and her team were back to work now, with memories of their trip to Busan in the rear view mirror. She thought back to a conversation with Haseul that she had about finding the fire, a sense of passion, for the job. She’s glad to say that she has found it again.

 

“I’m thinking we can go on our second honeymoon.” Sojung announced, dropping an envelope on Hyunjung’s desk. She ripped it open, and there were two plane tickets to Switzerland inside.

 

“You didn’t.” Hyunjung’s smile was worth it, Sojung thought. She loved making her happy.

 

“Oh, I did.”

 

With a new sense of outlook and peace, Sojung can finally charge forward into the future with her wife and teammates by her side. That’s all she needed.

 

 

Soobin and Xiao were sprawled out on the couch of the basement across from Yeonjung, Luda, and Xuanyi, who were also spread out on a bigger couch. They had invested in a second couch for the basement, knowing that it was soon going to become the place to hang out. It was their first day back, no new missions. The table was littered with soju bottles and beer cans. This is what hard work looked like. 

 

“So... what now?”