“You plan to pull this off on your own? Are you insane?”

“Bora, I recruited you two into my team and I worked alone before this… Why can’t I do it on my own?”

Bora palms her face in response, albeit worried and annoyed at how indifferent their leader is being. “That’s exactly why we’re worried. You haven’t done a solo job in a long while… what if you mess up?”

Seungwan’s expression morphs into something undecipherable, her words not forming coherently to retort that question. She has planned, conducted and succeeded many heists alone; it was a part of her by now. Truthfully, recruiting more people into her team was and still remains a huge risk till today – any one of them can betray her and it’d still be her fault. Unfortunately, Seungwan knew there was no turning back the moment she embarked on this route of illegal activity. She thinks of herself as a modern-day Robin Hood; the money and riches she steals from the rich people go straight to charities here.

No matter the reason behind it though, the law will never look at them lightly.

“Bora’s just kidding, Unnie.”

“She has a point, Eunbi. As much as I’d love for y’all to join me, I want you to stay behind and take care of that rascal,” Seungwan ignores the blatant whining of ‘we’re the same age’ in the background. “It’s not like I can just skip tonight’s heist though. The old folks’ home is on the verge of shutting down.”

Eunbi already knows there’s no point trying to refute any of Seungwan’s decisions; the latter is as stubborn as a mule. She knows for a fact that their health and safety should always be prioritised, because they can’t go to public hospitals if they ever get hurt. Seungwan made sure to tell them every single obstacle they might face or challenge in the future, even scaring them with possible jail scenarios. Bora and Seungwan have known each other since middle school but lost contact for years; Eunbi… well, Eunbi used to be a part of the rich who got robbed.

Bora stares at the two women standing around her bed incredulously, rolling her eyes. She has never been babied like this and wow, she does not enjoy it one bit. “I’m still alive and kicking. Can you two stop behaving like it’s the end of the world for me? God. Don’t even get me started on your naggy , we’re literally the same age and only have six months between us.”

For a split second, Seungwan considers letting Bora tag along but when the younger winces at the slightest movement, her resolve stands firmer.

“Babysit her, please.”

“SON SEUNGWANNNN!!”

The raven-haired girl pulls on her black tights, throwing her sweater behind her shoulder. She feels nervous about tonight, for some reason – but it can be chalked up to the fact that it’s her first solo heist in possibly two years. Heists that were carried out alone were much easier because the jobs were smaller, and her goals are also a lot more reachable. It’s an exception this time round though, because the old folks’ home is at stake with every passing day. Despite the number of donations made, the land is still due to be sold if no one can keep the home going.

Eunbi comes up behind her and places a comforting hand on her shoulder, giving it a tender squeeze. “Bora-unnie’s judgement might be clouded because of the injury on her leg but mine isn’t. You don’t have to pull it off alone tonight, Unnie.”

“You know that old folks’ home means a lot to me… that’s where my grandmother stayed before she passed.”

Son Seungwan, an abandoned baby that had been left on the step of the old folks’ home because her grandmother was living there. She basically grew up in the care of so many elderly people instead of her parents doing their part. When her grandmother passed, the caretakers told her about the stories the elderly woman was known for – how she always knew that one day, Seungwan would eventually be taken care of by her.

Whether her grandmother was feeling ill or burnt out, Seungwan was never once neglected or thrown to the side by anyone in the home. It was both amazing and surprising the more she learnt as she grew up.

“I know, but still…”

“Don’t worry, okay?” Seungwan turns around after making sure her eye mask is on, rubbing the younger girl’s cheek. “I’ll update you when I’ve reached, and when I’m done.”

Eunbi watches in utter silence as Seungwan grabs her duffel bag and an extra pair of clothes; she has never been a fan of solo heists. She previously attempted one on her own but was immediately spotted by a passer-by. Thereafter, both Bora and Seungwan never let her go alone for fear the youngest gets caught. It might seem overprotective but Eunbi is just like the baby in their little, illegal family. Whilst Seungwan grew up in an old folks’ home, Bora had grown up in an orphanage so both of them know how difficult it is. As much as possible, they want Eunbi to remain behind safely so she’d be free of all charges if ever.

Despite the constant reasons Eunbi gives, she knows that deep down, they won’t change their minds anytime soon.

Stay safe, Unnie…

*

“Unnie! You’re late again!”

“I’m doing YOU a favour, you imbecile. The least you can do is wait patiently and not complain, Jennie.” Joohyun rolls her eyes, grumbling under her breath.

Bae Joohyun has been walking along the block for almost twenty minutes, in her high stilettos and tight pencil skirt. She usually won’t leave her office for non-essential matters because well, time is money. The only exception to this one rule is her best friend.

“Ugh, just please don’t forget the wine.”

Fancy having such a huge party and miscalculating the number of people that are turning up; that’s probably one of the biggest mistakes ever. Insufficient alcohol, insufficient food… a lack of everything that is essential for a party. Joohyun already knows something like this is bound to happen because of how muddle-headed Jennie is – the woman would literally forget her own birthday if she wasn’t such a party animal. Joohyun can’t even count the times she’s had to bail her best friend out just so the latter wouldn’t lose her pride in front of others.

The only upside to this is the sound of her stilettos hitting the pavement with the evening so silent; perhaps it sounds weird but it’s definitely satisfying to her ears.

Yet, her peace doesn’t last for long.

“What the hell…” Joohyun squints, trying to see if her eyes are playing tricks on her at all.

A black Toyota pulls up to the corner of the street just opposite Jennie’s landed property, revealing a rather petite masked individual. Joohyun almost bursts out laughing when she spots a bright shade of neon pink socks sticking out of the latter’s tights – this robber did not think things through, clearly. That being said, she’s not opposed to sticking around just to watch the chaos about to go down.

On the other hand, Seungwan quickly does a forward flip and lands safely behind the wall. She did her research about this house a couple of nights ago; the owners would be away for the entire week and the housemaids were also dismissed before they departed. That being said, this was merely her backup option since the mansion was out of the question. The bastardly brat who owned the place had flown back on first class and was having a party the very same night they planned to strike. It was Bora who discovered it first, and she fell from the second floor after hearing the main doors creak open the night before.

Either way, an area where rich people live always offer more options – tonight is the perfect example.

“I just need to get things worth about…” Seungwan continues her calculations mentally, standing in the backyard with her equipment laid out. She’s so meticulous about the numbers that she fails to notice the silver Maserati pulling up.

Watching from across the street stands Joohyun with her arms crossed, having moved her position so she can see the potential robber from a better angle. She leans against the wall with a mixture of amusement and confusion written all over her face. Most robbers, or even wannabe robbers would be up and running out of their targets’ houses at the slightest sound of a pin drop. Maybe the bright pink socks sticking out of the dark clothes were a dead giveaway; this robber is either braindead or just extremely oblivious to their surroundings.

What seems to be a moment of fun for her, seems to be an opportunity for the robber to be caught. Joohyun can’t explain why her chest starts to feel a tad bit heavy, but something tells her to open for something a little less than ethical correct this once.

“Psst… Psst!”

Joohyun rolls her eyes incredulously, looking around for something that can grab the stupid robber’s attention. She looks down at her designer stilettos, mumbling a small ‘’. Well, Jennie will just have to buy her another pair to make up for this.

“!” Seungwan screeches when she feels a sharp object hit the back of her head. She’s probably going to have to check that out because it’s s