“This plan is dangerous,” Chorong grumbled for about the hundredth time. She threw one last powerful punch at the punching bag in front of her, then walked away to grab a towel. The punching bag rocked side to side from the impact before it eventually settled in silence.

“Yes, I know,” Bomi said and followed Chorong. “But you were the one who advocated for it.”

“Just because I advocated for it doesn’t mean I’m happy with it,” Chorong went on. “The princess could get hurt. You could get hurt.”

Bomi tried to ignore the fact that Chorong had mentioned her second and that she seemed a bit more flustered when she said it. She also tried to ignore the fluttering in her chest when she saw Chorong strip off her tank-top to wipe her sweaty body with a towel. “When am I not going to get hurt? It’s pretty much in my job description. Besides, there’s nothing we can do now. We’ve spent days finalizing the plans, and the mission is tomorrow.”

“You just escaped death and recovered from a serious injury. And now you have to do it all again.”

“You of all people should know that our job throws us into more life-threatening situations than harmless ones.” Bomi sighed and sat down on the bench next to the towel rack. Her heart was still beating rapidly from the intense workout that she had just done with Chorong; given the sheer intensity of Chorong’s hellish exercises, Bomi wasn’t surprised that Chorong had easily beaten Bomi the first time they had sparred. “When did you become such a softie?”

“When I started caring.”

“About?”

Chorong glanced away and drank from her water bottle. “You.”

Chorong had already admitted to caring about Bomi, but this time it felt different.

And she’s in love with you. You make it easier for her to breathe―and live. Eunji had said those words to Bomi, and as much as they made Bomi’s heart giddy with childlike excitement, she still had yet to hear anything of the sort from Chorong. But then again, Bomi had also not admitted her feelings directly to Chorong yet. She didn’t know when the right time to do it was―or if there would ever be one, for that matter. Bomi had been sure of her feelings for a while now, and she had felt the urge to just blurt them out several times, but, just like now, the words would always get trapped in . 

I love you. I’m in love with you, Bomi wanted to say, but instead she said, “I won’t be going in alone. You and the others will be there to make sure everything goes smoothly.”

“From afar.”

“Yes, but you’ll still be there. I trust you. Don’t worry, everything will be fine. I’ll make sure no one lays a finger on Naeun.”

Chorong dropped her towel to the floor and grabbed Bomi’s hand. Again, Bomi tried not to stare too much at Chorong’s smooth, bare skin, but it was difficult when she was so close to her. 

“And you,” Chorong said tersely. “You can’t get hurt either.”

Bomi knew that if she promised Chorong that, it would be a doomed promise. It was impossible for Bomi to not get hurt, and Bomi was sure that Chorong knew that too. Still, it would be a promise that both she and Chorong needed, as doomed as it was. Bomi looked down at her hand, where Chorong’s thumb gently rested just above the small white scar on Bomi’s palm.

“I’ll come back,” Bomi promised. “I’ll come back to you.”

I’ll come back to you. Bomi had made that promise to Chorong the day before her mission, and it had stuck with Chorong ever since.

Good, Chorong had replied. And if you don’t, I’ll come to you.

Whenever Chorong needed reassurement or motivation to keep going despite the intense worry in her chest, she would replay that conversation in her mind. As she and her team were gearing up to infiltrate one of the biggest Shadow Clan gatherings in the country’s history, she replayed that memory over and over again.

They weren’t just about to infiltrate a Shadow Clan meeting. No, this was more of a temporary base that they were using to conduct their business. The Shadow Clan had taken over an old, abandoned military base on the southernmost border of the nation. It was nested in the middle of a thick forest, and if they hadn’t had an inside source, Chorong and the others would have never found it. According to their intel and Seungri, the Shadow Clan would only be stationed there for another week before they packed everything up and vacated the premises, leaving not a single trace of their presence.

Chorong and her team were currently in the back of a camouflaged van, completely armed and ready to make a move. They were just waiting on the other teams’ confirmations. Different teams had been assigned to different roles: perimeter, surveillance, and frontline. Chorong’s team and a few other teams had been assigned to the front line, and they would be the ones to physically penetrate the Shadow Clan base. According to the scouting teams, there were over a hundred people in the base, which confirmed the speculation and this would be one of the biggest gatherings of the Shadow Clan that they had ever faced.

Eunji came and sat next to Chorong. “Are you okay, Unnie?”

Chorong glimpsed at the other armed agents in the van. They all seemed too busy checking their equipment to hear their conversation. “I’m fine. You?”

Eunji sat back. “I’ve been better. But we’ll get through this.”

Chorong empathized. Despite the imminent violence and danger that would undoubtedly ensure, all Chorong could think about was Bomi. She wanted this mission to be a success, yes, but she wanted more than anything to rescue Bomi and bring her back home. As she glanced at Eunji and Namjoo and noted their anxious behaviors, Chorong knew that they all shared the same feeling.

It was funny how Bomi had been the last to join their team and the most difficult to get close to, yet they still loved and cared for her all the same. Well, maybe not the same, because Chorong’s feelings extended far beyond platonic, but they all wanted her back.

“We need to succeed in this mission,” Namjoo said. “For both the nation’s sake and Bomi-unnie’s sake.”

“We will,” Chorong assured. “For Bomi.”

Just then, Chorong’s radio buzzed, “Frontline, you are clear to go. Over.”

Everyone in the van stopped rustling and turned their attention to Chorong, who had been chosen to lead them. It felt odd, not seeing Hayoung or Bomi among the crowd, but Chorong had been acquainted with all of these agents before, and she knew that they were all more than capable teammates. Chorong took a deep breath and replied through her radio, “This is Alpha Team. We copy.”

Namjoo clicked her gun. “I can’t believe Hayoungie’s going to miss all the fun.”

“We’ll tell her all about it when we get back.” Chorong gripped the door handle and looked at her team. “Is everyone ready?”

Everyone nodded, and Chorong opened the door and jumped into the sunlight outside.

For Bomi, she thought, and ran into the forest in front of her.