Heehyun disappears at the very moment they start their move towards the enemy’s positions. Nayeon could have swore she saw DIA’s arrogant leader when she was crouching behind a concrete roadblock, ready to seize the canteen with Eunbi and Jisoo; but when they enter the building, Heehyun’s gone in the blink of an eye.
The canteen is no good substitute for a fort, and is useful only as a temporary solution. Occupying the canteen means that they can move around — almost — freely, and pull their scarves off their noses, and take a sip of water, because god damn, these helmets and goggles are not suitable for today’s intense summer heat.
She remembers Seolhyun’s order: «Keep an eye out, don’t let anyone circle the canteen». In mere minutes, half of the platoon will get here; Nayeon and Co are the vanguard, sent to take and secure this hideout. Between the canteen and the infirmary — where, as Jisoo’s cute whistleblower told them, the green flag is hidden — stand a dozen of storage units, and lies the parade field. They can use a minute of tranquility.
Eunbi’s sudden shushing sounds so flirty, Nayeon turns around to check if that, indeed, comes from name-dropping, truth-bombing, sarcastic sprinter Kwon ‘No Skinship’ Eunbi. Iz*One’s eldest is in her bombshell mode; even in the uniform, with ugly goggles on, she makes her eyes shine at the recruit behind the counter. The boy is ready to pass out, but his hand holds his phone like it’s his lifeline, ready to film. Eunbi slowly, seductively retracts her finger from her puckered lips; behind her, Jisoo is blasting her ‘I-am-mentally-underage-but-legal’ YG smile at the poor boy.
«Nayeon noona», he whispers in awe.
, thinks Nayeon. Is he really my fan, or does he just want to get the full set?.. And did he just call me noona?!
Nayeon pulls the right face on, while approaching the stunned private. Kitchen duty on the Zarnitsa day, we totally forgot. And a better half of the platoon will be here in a minute.
«What is your name?» she asks.
He gives her his name — generic, ordinary. «I have been your fan since ’Sixteen’!» he adds hastily. Nayeon waits for him to say the magic phrase ‘I am an Once’, but hears nothing. To say that this bothers her is an understatement. Her fan since Sixteen simply cannot not be an Once as well, the other option is a psychopath solo stan: either dangerous, or lovesick, or both.
«Nayeon noona», says the psychopath. «Can I take a selca?»
Of course you can, thinks Nayeon, but may you take it? However, to pacify him, she poses for a good selca (never minding the ridiculous goggles), and that’s the first thing her platoon mates see upon entering the canteen. 
She even talks to him, for god’s sake! Has an actual conversation! Her attention is the only thing that can outweigh the whole Zarnitsa situation. And her platoon mates guess what she’s doing, instantly. Easily.
«Thank you so much, Nayeon noona! All my friends will be so jealous!» he exclaims, fumbling with his phone, and the very thing Nayeon — the whole vanguard! — has feared, happens.
Jisoo facepalms. Eunbi bites her lip, unsure if laughter will ruin her scarce, but polite relationship with Nayeon once and forever.
«Oh, no», the boy whines, and Nayeon can’t understand if her fan (or akgae?) is truly remorseful or straight up mocking her. «I am so sorry, Nayeon noona!»
«They’ll be here in two minutes!» roars Seolhyun. «Who’s ready, out!»
Nayeon nods at Eunbi and Jisoo, and rushes to the back door, not paying any more attention to the little bastard, who is still apologising. The hell he will receive my forgiveness. She is the last one of the vanguard to cross the middle of the canteen because of his whining, with Eunbi already at the door and Jisoo rounding the corner.
«The window», Kim Nayoung husks right above Nayeon’s ear, and her lithe arm tugs Nayeon into the corner Jisoo has just left.
A green paintball smacks across the plexiglass. Nayeon thanks gugudan’s sniper with her eyes. Jisoo spins around.
«Out, out!» shouts Seolhyun, with Jooeun shadowing her. «Back door!»
Kim Nayoung tightens her grip on Nayeon and drags her out. They hang around the back door, covering their platoon mates, who are diving into the labyrinth of the storage units.
Seeing the platoon evacuating, their lieutenant adjusts her goggles, checks her paint gun and kicks the front door open, shooting the first green team member she sees. From under her elbow, Jooeun snipes two more, who are already aiming at AOA’s furious beauty. Everything happens in a flash; the next second, Jisoo tackles Seolhyun, sending them both to the floor, and the tables behind them become newly-painted, while Jooeun kicks the door shut.
«Vanguard!» Seolhyun berates Jisoo. «I’ve told you to go!»
A shrill scream from the outside pierces their ears, «Do not dirty the canteen!»
«They would have shot you!» heatedly argues Jisoo. 
«They took Kim Nayoung», Jooeun chimes in. «They will be fine, lieutenant, let’s go».

***

Although Heehyun disappears almost immediately (like a good spy does), a certain pair of kilometer-long legs sticks around for a while. Sowon is present during the shootout in the canteen, Nayeon notices; GFriend’s tree is running around, ducked, or, rather, folded in half, like Sana’s improvised ‘ke-ke-ke-ke’ gesture, looking just as ridiculous. For the love of — god? her? Meonji? laying down? — Sowon can’t bend her knees or crawl, and Nayeon would really like to know how she keeps her uniform so tidy. 
They waste a bit of their time, pressing the green teammates, sent to capture them, past the canteen to the huddle of storage units, where the biggest part of the platoon awaits. The idols circle the soldiers and rake them with fire (which is unnecessary, to be honest), and Nayeon notices adrenaline and joy in Sowon’s movements.
But later, when the platoon, reunited once again (except for Heehyun and some snipers), sneaks towards the uniform storage — Sowon vanishes. Nayeon can’t say she’s a fan of that.
The storage is the last building before the wast open grounds. It’s locked, but Nayoung jams the lock open, and those who turned out to be especially unlucky, speedily change their uniforms, painted extra green. Once again fresh and immaculate, the platoon checks the ammo — it’s their last chance before the final charge at the enemy, across the parade field.
The platoon gets ready to attack.
«Lieutenant», says Eunbi, «look. They’ve installed field fortifications around the infirmary». 
«Do the fortifications look like we can storm them?» asks Seolhyun from under a pine tree. She’s pouring water on her neck, cooling