“I can’t believe I’m going to meet the princess with my face still looking like an oversized grape,” Bomi muttered grumpily.

Eunji laughed, “I think you look great.”

Bomi rubbed her cheek sourly. After the incident with the Shadow Clan, Bomi had spent a few days in the hospital. The three men had done quite some damage to Bomi, and although Bomi’s bruises looked a lot better than they had a few days ago, she still looked like a discolored grape. The bruises on her face weren’t the worst of them either; most of the damage had been done to her body. Hidden under her shirt was an abstract painting of dark purple and green. 

At least all her wounds were external; she was grateful for that. She felt fine now, but for a few days, it had been difficult to stand up or even use the restroom, but she was glad that she was still alive. She still had work to do.

“You’re just saying that,” Bomi grumbled. “I’m in the royal palace. I feel like I should at least look a bit more presentable.”

Indeed, walking through the halls of a humongous palace that seemed filled to the brim with gold and priceless artifacts made Bomi feel like she should have been wearing an elegant gown. She should have at least been wearing the formal uniform that every agent was given, but she had disposed of hers when she cut her ties with everyone. Instead, she wore a black leather jacket over a grey turtleneck and simple black jeans. Eunji was also wearing something similar, and she had said that it was fine, but Bomi still felt out of place.

It wasn’t Bomi’s first time in the palace; she had been there several times for briefings with other agents, but the effects of the palace’s grandeur never wore out. The palace was an immense collection of glorious polished marble floors, decorative paintings and statues, gold pillars, and endless doors that opened to endless possibilities. Bomi could bet that one of those statues cost more than she would ever spend in her lifetime. It was hard to imagine that she would be living in this during her time as one of the agents of Princess Naeun’s team. Bomi had grown up in a humble home, and she would never get used to being surrounded by wealth like this, but she would certainly enjoy it while she could.

“It’s really not as bad as you think,” Eunji promised earnestly. She stopped by a grand set of double-doors and greeted the two guards posted at each side. “I’m here with Yoon Bomi, as requested by the princess,” she told the guards. 

“Princess Naeun and the rest of the team are waiting inside,” replied one of the guards. She opened the door for them and gestured for them to enter. Eunji thanked the guards, and Bomi followed Eunji into the room.

As the door shut behind them, Bomi surveyed the spacious room before her. It was by far the simplest part of the palace that she had seen so far, but it was still very obviously a room of the royal palace. It was complete with a great table that stretched across the length of the room, comfy-looking leather chairs, and a large map of the world on the furthest wall.

Seated at the table were four women who were all looking at her curiously. She was somewhat relieved to find that most of them were dressed casually in jeans and simple tops and coats. The only one that stood out was the woman sitting at the head of the table. She wore a beautiful cream-colored long sleeve dress, and glittering jewelry adorned her neck, ears, and hands. Her long dark hair fell effortlessly down her shoulders. When she stood up and began walking towards Bomi and Eunji, Bomi saw that she was quite tall, and it wasn’t just because she was wearing heels. She must have been the princess.

Bomi bowed to the princess. “Hello, Princess Naeun. Thank you for inviting me into the palace.”

The princess eyed Bomi up and down carefully before saying, “The pleasure is all mine. Thank you for accepting my invitation.”

“I believe I should be getting the thank you,” Eunji said. “She would not be here without my brilliance.”

“Your brilliance, yes,” Naeun sighed. “I’m sorry that I sent Eunji to get you. She must have been very annoying.”

Bomi glanced back and forth between the two women, unsure of what to say. How formal did she have to be with the princess, exactly? “She was very...persistent.”

“My persistence saved your a*s,” Eunji pointed out, and Bomi looked at her with wide eyes. Eunji laughed and lightly hit Bomi’s back. “Lighten up. She may be the princess, but you don’t have to walk on eggshells around her.” She gestured to the three other women sitting at the table. “We’re all friends here.”

Naeun smiled, and for a second, she looked less like a princess and more like a normal person. “She’s right. Feel free to call me Naeun. Come, I’d like you to meet your new teammates.”

Bomi walked toward the table, and the other women stood to greet her. The smallest woman walked around the table to greet Bomi first. Although she was the shortest, Bomi felt the biggest presence from her. Her steps were quick and purposeful, and her gaze was stern and direct.

“Nice of you to finally join us,” the woman said. Her voice was surprisingly soft and sweet, like honey. “Park Chorong, in case you had forgotten. I am the leader of this team.”

Bomi gaped. “Park Chorong, the top student? The all-star?”

“That’s the one,” Eunji said, smiling proudly like she was proud of Chorong’s accomplishments. “She looks different, doesn’t she?”

“That’s a bit of an understatement,” Bomi replied, still in shock. The Park Chorong that she knew from her training academy had been a baby-faced girl with a surprising talent for…pretty much everything. No matter what skill they were tested on, be it with books or on the sparring ground, Chorong had always come out on top. She’d been quite an outcast because she had always been so concentrated on her training. That Park Chorong always had her hair tied up, still had her baby fat on her cheeks, and would become shy if someone were to talk to her outside of training.

This Chorong was drastically different from the Chorong that Bomi had once known. The Park Chorong that stood in front of her gave off no timidness; she was all confidence and discipline. She had loosened her dark hair from her ponytail, and now it fell neatly down her neck and past her shoulders. All of her baby fat was gone, revealing a woman with high cheekbones and a toned body. Eunji and Chorong had been on the same team before this assignment, of which Chorong had also been the leader, and for the past few years, they had been working together. Whenever Bomi and Eunji had met, Eunji would always mention how Chorong was nothing like how she had been back at the academy. Now, looking at Chorong in front of her, Bomi believed Eunji. 

The only things that seemed to have stayed the same were Chorong’s soft, melodic voice and her eyes. Her eyes were still the same pools of smooth melted chocolate that Bomi and all the other trainees had always admired.

“None of us here are the same women that we were when we graduated from the academy,” Chorong said. “To some, that may be a blessing.” 

Eunji nodded. “Chorong-unnie is among that ‘some’.”

“Don’t forget that I am still your leader,” Chorong muttered. “I could have you sent to bathroom duty in some random embassy.”

“Ah, but you won’t,” Eunji sang as she brushed past Chorong’s shoulders to stand next to the princess. “You’ll miss me too much.”

“Be careful, she might actually do it,” laughed the tallest member. She had brown hair and an attractive low voice. When she stood next to Chorong, her long legs practically shrank Chorong’s in comparison. All of them had gone to the same training academy, but Bomi didn’t recognize her. The woman held out her hand and introduced herself, “Oh Hayoung. It’s nice to meet you.”

Bomi shook Hayoung’s hand and bowed at the same time. “Nice to meet you, Hayoung. I don’t believe I’ve seen you around at the academy before.”

“That’s probably because you haven’t,” the last member answered for Hayoung. “Hayoungie’s the youngest among us. She was a first-year during your last year, Unnie.” This woman, Bomi recognized. She had grown her hair out past her chest and had dyed it to a slight auburn color, which Bomi thought suited her very well. She and Bomi hadn’t been incredibly close at their academy because of the , but Bomi could never forget those deceptively innocent eyes and friendly face. 

Bomi smiled widely. “Namjoo-ah. You look great.”

“Thanks,” Namjoo replied with her signature beautiful smile. “And you look…”

“Like a discolored grape?” Bomi finished for her, sharing a glance with Eunji.

“That was not what I was trying to say. I’m glad that you’re okay, though,” Namjoo said. “I never thought that I’d be in a team with you.”

“I never thought that I’d be put into a team with any of you,” Bomi pointed out, sweeping her eyes across the group of women. They were an impossibly good-looking group, she observed. Her eyes fell on Chorong, who was gesturing to the other members to return to their seats. Bomi definitely never expected to be placed on a team with the academy’s all-star student.

This will certainly be interesting, Bomi thought as she took a seat next to Eunji.

Naeun returned to her spot at the head of the table. “I’m glad to say that after several weeks, our team is finally complete. Some of you came from the same team, some of you were close friends in your academy, and some of you barely knew each other. None of that should matter now. I have brought you together as a team, and you will all work together in harmony to achieve your goals. If one of you is in trouble, the rest of you will help them. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Princess,” they all responded.

“Good. I want you all to know that I will do my best from the palace to aid you however I can. Just like the rest of your team, I will not leave you behind. That is my promise to you as your princess and friend. The road ahead will be a dangerous one, I know, and I thank you all for accepting the position regardless of the perils. The Shadow Clan has not only threatened my life, but also the innocent lives of everyone living in this nation for far too long. The latter is the reason why I have called together this team with such urgency. I will not stand idly by when there are dangerous people lurking on our streets. I may not be able to physically place myself in the action, but I will do what I can in my position.”

“You have our utmost support and loyalty, Princess,” Chorong promised.

“Thank you, Chorong,” said Naeun. She passed a stack of folders to the leader, who began passing them down the table. “These are copies of the most recent reports of Shadow Clan activity. After studying these for some time, I was able to pinpoint the approximate date and location of their next meeting. If our sources are correct, a small group of them are scheduled to meet in an abandoned building in Chuncheon next week.”

“Where do they keep finding these abandoned buildings?” Hayoung muttered, flipping through the papers. “The day and time are not confirmed?”

Naeun shook her head. “Unfortunately not. We have different sources giving us different days and times, and we can’t be sure which one is true.”

“I guess we have to prepare for a long stakeout,” Namjoo said. “Fun. Stakeouts are a great team-bonding opportunity.”

“We might be too preoccupied to bond,” Eunji reminded her.

“We can sure try.”

“A stakeout is a good idea,” Chorong said. “We’ll head out on Saturday to assess the area and set up. That gives us three days to prepare, which should be more than enough time.”

“Will you be okay to work by then, Bomi-unnie?” Namjoo asked.

“I will,” Bomi answered. “I just won’t look pretty.”

“I’ll make the calls to secure the required equipment,” Naeun stated. “Send me a list of what you’ll need as soon as you can.”

“We’ll need a van with the proper equipment to tap into nearby surveillance cameras. I’ll send you the specifics later. As for weapons, I will need the regular handgun and daggers, Namjoo will need a sniper rifle with a silencer, Hayoung will need twin pistols, Eunji will need an extra sword in case she loses her personal one,” Chorong looked at Bomi, “and Bomi will need throwing knives.”

Bomi blinked. “You did your research.”

“Of course I did,” said Chorong. “But that’s not the reason why I knew you’d need throwing knives. I remember that you always excelled at knife-throwing.”

“She’s not our leader for nothing,” Hayoung grinned.

“I’ll make sure to have those prepared for you,” Naeun said. “Take the remainder of the time that you have to prepare everything else. Are there any questions?” When no one spoke, Naeun continued, “Very well. You are dismissed. Contact me if you need any help.”

Everyone stood and bowed to the princess. Bomi followed their suit awkwardly, then proceeded to leave the room with the others.

“Have you been shown to your room yet?” Chorong asked Bomi when they exited the room.

“No,” Bomi replied. “I was hoping that I’d be able to find my way.”

“You would get miserably lost,” Eunji laughed. “I can lead you there.”

“No, you have to the princess back to her room,” Chorong said. “I’ll take her.”

Eunji hesitated for a moment, but then she nodded, bade them farewell, and began walking the other way with the princess. Bomi watched them go, her eyes following Eunji as she remained protectively close to the princess and laughed happily at something that the princess said.

Bomi kept her gaze on them until they rounded the corner. Chorong tugged on her arm and said, “Come on, let’s go. Don’t worry, your room isn’t too far from Eunji’s.”