Naeun had been staring at the files in front of her for an unnaturally long time. Her neck had begun to hurt, and she didn’t know if her eyes could handle staring at the same pictures for any longer. She sighed and gathered the files of the five members of her team into a neat pile.

“I’m always going to protect you…,” she muttered to herself. “Which one of you said that?”

She slid the papers into a folder and set it aside. The search would continue later, she decided. It was late, and her brain was starting to shut down on her.

Naeun had been searching for the same person for the past decade, and she didn’t know if she was any closer to finding them than she had been ten years ago.  She wasn’t even sure if the person was among her team right now, though she certainly wished that they were. Composing the team hadn’t been an easy task; she had done thorough research on every single member to make sure that they matched the details of the person she was looking for. If the girl wasn’t one of the women in her team, then Naeun wasn’t sure if she would ever find her.

It was true that Naeun had assembled this special team to defeat the Shadow Clan once and for all, but she had also used it as a way to find the girl. It made it easier that this girl had graduated at the top of her class (or had vowed to, anyway), so the team that she would have created would have been more than capable of accomplishing its task. 

She couldn’t remember the person’s face or name, but she knew that she had gone to Play M Training Academy, graduated at the top of her class, and was around Naeun’s age. They had met when Naeun visited the academy with her father, and they had spent their entire summer together. Naeun had been fifteen-years-old at the time, and before they parted, her friend had promised that she would always protect Naeun. She had vowed to graduate at the top of her class so she could be assigned to a high-ranking position: Naeun’s personal guard. But after that summer, Naeun lost contact with that person, and over time, her face and name faded to nothing but a distant memory that Naeun could not access.

Naeun knew that it seemed childish to be holding onto such a promise, but that summer with that girl had been the best summer of Naeun’s life. They had understood each other on untouched levels, and just being with her had made Naeun feel...safe. When the girl had made that vow to Naeun, Naeun had believed her―and she still did.

She wondered if that girl still remembered her promise to Naeun. If she was truly one of the members of her team, then she showed no signs of remembering it. Naeun sincerely hoped that the childhood love that she had held dear to her heart for the last ten years would not end in tragedy and humiliation.

Naeun had just lifted the blanket on her bed when she heard knocking at her door. She padded tiredly across the room, grouchily thinking that whatever the person wanted had better be important. When she opened the door and Eunji’s face appeared, all of her grumpiness seemed to slip away.

“It’s past midnight, Eunji. What brings you here?” Naeun asked curiously.

“Can I come in?” Eunji’s restrained expression and the solemn sadness in her voice made Naeun immediately step aside. The cups of ice cream in her hands also played a role. Eunji stepped into her room, and Naeun thanked the guards outside her room before she shut the door.

Naeun walked to her bed and beckoned Eunji to sit next to her. “Is everything alright?”

“Does something have to be wrong for me to visit you, Princess?” Eunji held up the cups in her hand. “I brought ice cream.”

“Not under normal circumstances, no. But it’s past midnight and you suddenly showed up unannounced with two giant servings of ice cream, which can only mean two things: you did something horribly wrong or you’re sad and need comforting. I’m guessing it’s the latter.”

“Wow.” Eunji sat down next to Naeun on her bed. “It was the ice cream that gave it away?”

Naeun took one of the cups from Eunji’s hands. “That and the fact that you look like your puppy just ran away from you. What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine,” Eunji said, though a bit tersely. “It’s nothing big. I just couldn’t sleep.”

“Is it because of what happened today? Hayoungie told me what happened in the van.”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“It’s okay. It’s just…,” Eunji fiddled with her spoon, as if trying to summon the right words. “A lot has been happening. A lot of old things and new things springing up, and it’s kind of overwhelming. But it’s fine. Everything will be fine. I just need time getting used to it.”

Naeun had the feeling that Bomi’s reentry into her life had something to do with this, but she didn’t want to pry. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. If you say that things will be fine, then I believe you.”

Eunji nodded, picking at her ice cream. “Thank you.”

“You know, you’ve visited me late at night several times before, but you’ve never brought ice cream.” Naeun took in a big scoop of ice cream, letting it melt on her tongue and savoring it like it was a delicacy. “You should do it more often.”

“I’m not sure how our bodies would like having ice cream as a midnight snack every night.”

“I think our bodies will thank us for it.”

Eunji laughed and finally took a bite of her ice cream. “If you want me to visit you more often, just say the words, Princess.”

“There seems to be a misunderstanding. I’m interested in the ice cream, not you. Your company is a nice cherry on top.” That was a lie, and Naeun knew it very well. She enjoyed talking to Eunji, as well as the other members of the team. It had taken a while for the others to see past Naeun’s title and start talking comfortably to her like a friend, but Eunji had been comfortable with her from the start. Naeun remembered that the first time Eunji came to visit her in her room, Naeun had thought that her life was in danger and Eunji had come to save her. It turned out that Eunji had just come to talk to her and get to know her better. To a girl who rarely had the chance to make friends because her life was always under threat, Eunji’s gesture had meant the world to her.

“Ice cream is a requirement from now on,” Eunji said. “Noted.”

“Thank you. I look forward to it.”

“Anything for the princess, Princess.” Eunji mocked an exaggerated bow.

Naeun lightly shoved Eunji’s arm, and Eunji’s face immediately twisted in pain. She clutched her arm and looked up at the ceiling with a grimace.

“Oh my God,” Naeun said, hastily setting her ice cream aside. “I’m so sorry, Eunji. I had completely forgotten.”

“It’s fine,” Eunji said through gritted teeth. “The pain will pass soon.”

“Has your arm been hurting a lot?” Naeun asked worriedly.

Eunji took a breath and looked down at her arm. “It stings occasionally and there’s this constant soreness. I’ve been through worse, though. I’ll be okay.”

“You say that a lot, you know.” Naeun placed a gentle hand on Eunji’s arm. “It’s fine. I’m okay. You have to let others know when things actually aren’t fine.”

“I know,” Eunji sighed. “I’m working up to it.”

Naeun spread her hands out wide. “This is a safe space.”

“Safe because I’m here to protect you.”

“You know what I mean!” Naeun had the urge to shove Eunji again, but she restrained herself. “You’re always welcome in my room. Ice cream or not.”

“Ice cream or not? I’ve leveled up,” Eunji said jokingly. “Thank you, Naeunie. I appreciate it.”

“Of course.” Naeun reached over to pick up her ice cream and her TV remote. “Now, what movie do you want to watch?”

“Movie?”

“Well, something is bothering you and you can’t sleep, so I figured we could watch a movie to get your mind off of things.” Naeun the TV that was mounted on her wall and began clicking through the selection of movies. “Are you feeling a rom-com? Action? Scary?”

“Scary? I’m trying to fall asleep, not stay awake for a week because I’m scared that the coat in my closet is possessed.”

“Okay, then choose another genre.”

Eunji paused for a second. “Let’s watch a Disney movie. I like Frozen.”

“Frozen it is, then.” Naeun scooted over on her bed and patted the spot next to her. “Come here.”

Almost reluctantly, Eunji moved closer to her. Naeun started the movie, then flicked off her bedside lamp. The room became dark, only illuminated by the bright screen in front of them. She pulled her blanket over both of them and settled comfortably with her back against her headboard. 

Naeun had never done anything like this with a friend before; growing up, her parents had never let her have friends over so late. She had never experienced a sleepover or movie night or anything of the sort. She had never felt resentment towards her parents for her little experience with being a “normal” girl, but she had always wanted to know what it was like being able to walk outside without an entourage of guards. Sitting next to Eunji, she felt normal.

And as the movie progressed and Eunji eventually fell asleep on Naeun’s shoulder, Naeun realized that being with Eunji made her feel safer than being with a whole entourage of guards ever did.