As it turned out, Joohyun was pretty good at faking it. It wasn’t a surprise, knowing that the girl was enrolled in every art-related thing Seungwan could think of. She was the artist of the Bae family, along with Siwon, who had taught her everything he could. Although Siwon was the senator, the leadership trait came from Yoona, along with her witty mind.

Joohyun holds Seungwan’s hand discreetly since it was one of Seungwan’s conditions so she could monitor her. They are following Taeyeon’s team through the sewage system that will take them to the NFFA church they’re going to sacrifice her father in. Her mother goes behind her, and she blends just right too but goes slower than the rest due to her leg injury. It doesn't compare to Joohyun’s injuries, but the girl is holding up well or at least is pretending to. Jongin, Seulgi, and Tiffany are in the front, along with Taeyeon. Joy walks along with Yoona, while Chen goes at last since he’s the nurse in turn.

“Are you okay?” Seungwan murmurs, slowing her pace and squeezing Joohyun’s hand. Yoona hesitates but keeps walking with Joy’s help.

The air in Joohyun’s lungs refuses to come out, but she tries again, slower this time. Seungwan rides the girl’s military uniform up, inspecting the wound the best she can. She also opens the helmet Joohyun has, letting her breathe.

“I’m… fine. We should keep going.”

The footsteps sound distant now, but the Bae girl is Seungwan’s top priority.

“If you can’t breathe or worse, just tell me, okay?”

Joohyun nods, smiling at Seungwan’s concern. The girl grabs her hand again, helping her sprint towards the rest of the team. It doesn’t help that the gun is heavier than she thought it would be, and she’s smaller than she would like to admit.

They stop, almost hitting Chen’s back.

“At my command,” Taeyeon murmurs, signaling a part of the team to enter through the next corridor.

They enter in silence, walking as fast as they can without raising suspicions. They end up on a balcony, looking at the front of the church where her father is tied to a giant roulette. Joohyun has never killed someone before, but she could always start today. She grips the machine gun too tight, her hands trembling with fear.

Joohyun doesn’t see Taeyeon give the signal. She’s thrown out of her mind when the first gunshot resonates through the church and keeps replaying due to the reverberation. The bullet hits one of the Founding Fathers in the back of his neck with astounding precision. Everything goes quiet until it’s not.

Seungwan pushes Joohyun to the ground, hiding behind one of the columns of the long balcony. Yoona seems to be doing just fine as she said she would. Joohyun’s biggest worry at that moment is her father dying in the crossfire.

“Do you think we can get to my father from here?”

Seungwan frowns, looking at the center of the church with one eye peeking from the column.

“We could try,” she says, not convinced. “Are you up for a race?”

It’s a rhetorical question, Joohyun knows, but it doesn’t make her any less worried. Seungwan looks at her sister, who is backing Yoona up, while Chen attends to one of the injured. She returns her gaze amidst the chaos, an understanding that Joohyun doesn’t get. Until she gets it when Seungwan handcuffs her to a metallic tube poking out of the column.

“What the ? Get them off!” Joohyun tries to grab Seungwan with her legs, but Seungwan frees herself with ease that Joohyun would have found endearing in another situation.

“Can’t do, I’m truly sorry.” There’s truth in her voice, but it doesn’t make it better. “Joy! Watch her, please.”

The redhead nods distractedly, catching the keys in the air.

To get to the center of the church, Seungwan would have to get down by the stairs that are a fair shot for the NFFA. She knows she won’t have something to cover herself, so she has to be fast if she wants to survive.

“Seungwan, please don’t do this.”

“I’m already doing it.”

She sprints towards the stairs, holding her gun with both hands in front of her. Joohyun watches as Joy stands up, shooting to the NFFA to cover for her sister.

Joohyun closes her eyes. If she doesn’t calm down soon, she will have a panic attack and maybe a gunfight isn’t the best place for that to happen.

“Please, don’t kill him,” her mother pleads. “It will turn him into a martyr and Siwon won’t stand a chance against him.”

“I already—what the is she doing?” Joohyun can only imagine they are talking about Seungwan. “Shoot, shoot, shoot! Jongin, cover for her.”

The conversation between her mother and Taeyeon ends just like that, resuming her previous spots. Joy rolls towards Joohyun, taking the girl’s gun.

“Wait, please let me out of this?” Joohyun points at the handcuff. “I promise you can trust me.”

“I don’t think so,” the redhead murmurs. “Wendy clearly doesn’t trust you to not do stupid things.”

“I… may have given her the wrong impression, but I saved her like twice. Please, let me out of this. I want to be useful.”

Seeing the lack of worry from her mother, Joohyun believes she was the one behind it all.

Joy huffs, looking for the keys in her pants.

“My sister cares about you, you know?” Joohyun can see Joy is trying to make it seem like it is normal small talk, but deep down, they both know it’s not.

She debates if saying they barely know each other is rude, but Joy speaks up again before she has the opportunity to respond.

“In situations like this one, I don’t think we have time to know each other first.”

The clack of the handcuff startles her, but not more than the bullet that crosses right above her ear. Joy helps her to get up, and they take cover behind another column. The click of Taeyeon’s gun makes her growl like she’s some kind of animal, and Joy throws Joohyun’s gun at her, the leader taking it with ease.

“I know,” Joohyun finally says. “I care about her, too.”

Joy smiles, standing to aim at one of the Founding Fathers.

“And that’s exactly why I can’t let her do this.”