It was a bit past midnight, and most of the trainees had already fallen asleep. Lights out was implemented earlier than usual because of the unknown events in the other match. Everyone was told to just wait until morning for an official announcement, so there was little reason to stay up. While Wonyoung and Yujin had fallen asleep, Yuri was still tossing and turning on her bed. The room felt a lot emptier without Goeun and Juri in it, and she was still wondering where they could have gone. Finally, she sits upright and leans into the bed's head-rest, trying to think. It was then that she noticed another empty bed, Yena's. Where could that idiot have gone? She thinks to herself. There were heavy sanctions for staying out past curfew like meal restrictions or being forced to do extra laps around the facility, but at the moment, Yuri didn't particularly care. She gets up and slowly creeps towards the door and exits to look for Yena.

Yuri was still irked about their argument during the match with Wonyoung's team. It always felt like she was talking to a different person when she was with Yena on missions, and it had frustrated her. She walks along the corridors quietly, taking in the serene night breeze. It was rare to be able to walk around the dorm without hearing much commotion. It felt calming to see the stars in the sky shining down on the building. It was a nice change of pace from the smog-filled skies in the city. After walking for a while longer, she sees a figure leaning on the terrace balcony placed at the end of the corridor. It was an open area with a few benches and tables that many trainees would hang around at during breaks. Right now, it was empty except for Yena basking in the moonlight looking out into the horizon. Yuri slowly approaches her, careful not to surprise Yena which would alert the guards. She was about to ask her what she was doing out here this late, but Yena spoke first, as if sensing Yuri's presence.

"I'm sorry about a while ago." She says as she turns towards her. "I didn't mean to sound so bossy." Yena's looking down at her feet, avoiding eye-contact as Yuri approaches. She eventually feels a hand on her shoulder and another pushing her chin up to meet Yuri's gaze.

"I forgive you, but why are you really always on guard during missions. I know you said you're doing this for your parents, but I don't know if that's everything." Yuri says. "I told you the truth about myself, so why are you still hiding something?"

Yena sighs, distancing herself from Yuri. It felt noticeably colder now that they were standing apart. "Okay, you got me. What I told you wasn't the whole truth. I just didn't want to say anything because I was afraid that I'd scare people away."

"The truth is that I ran away from home too." Yena begins. Yuri is definitely taken aback by that new piece of information.

"But I thought your parents cared about you. I thought they tried to protect you." Yuri says, recalling what Yena had told her previously.

"Yes, and that's why I had to leave." Yuri gives Yena a dumbfounded look, as if not connecting the two truths. Why would you run away from people who cared about you?

"My parents would go to the ends of the earth to protect me, but as I got older, it got harder. They couldn't keep blaming the faulty electricity for the random power outages. I didn't know how to control my powers, and it was affecting them." Yena looks crestfallen looking back at her past. "I didn't want to be a burden to them anymore, so I left them a letter and ran away."

"So, where'd you go?" Yuri asks.

"I wanted to learn how to control my powers, so I looked for other mutants. I ended up joining a bad group of them, because at the time, I didn't know where to turn. Sure, I learned to control my powers, but the people I was with were bad people. They used their powers to terrorize normal people, stealing and vandalizing everything in their area. I couldn't run because they'd just hunt me down too. I witnessed them do horrible things and I couldn't speak up against any of it. One day, I managed to send out a message to the police department, and when they showed up... they shot everyone. It was all my fault." The last few words of Yena made the atmosphere so much heavier. Yuri was still processing everything.

"In the end, I escaped, but the guilt hasn't left me. I tried going back to my old home, but my parents had already moved away, and I have no idea where they are. I didn't know where else to go so I turned myself in to the nearest mutant rehabilitation facility, which was Yuehua. When they got the notification to send their trainees here, I jumped at the chance. If I somehow made the team, I could make up for my past and help other mutants and have the resources to find where my parents had gone." Yena hangs her head again, not wanting to look at Yuri's reaction. "I didn't want to talk about that part of my life because I didn't want to scare people like you away..."

"Hmm, now it makes sense why you're always on edge. It's just instinct from your time with that gang. You really have a noble cause, Yena. Why would I be scared of you because of it?" Yuri says while approaching Yena to comfort her. Although she was taken aback by that information overload, she recognized Yena's sincerity. She was telling the truth in what she wanted out of all this. "Listen, we all have different goals and reasons for being here, but we're still teammates. You don't have to hide who you are around me, you know?" Yena nods as she leans into Yuri's shoulder, sniffling a bit.

"Aish, are you really gonna cry on me now?" Yuri says while patting Yena's back. She sighs before continuing. "Well, fine, you can. I'm here for you duck-face." Yena chuckles a bit at that.

A sudden thud jolts the two girls out of their moment. Yena turns quickly ready to zap whoever was there, but all she sees is Chaewon moving a flower pot she had just tripped on back to its place. "Oh...did I just ruin something?" She says nonchalantly.

Yuri and Yena both turn away from each other, blushing. "Huh, o-oh, n-nothing, Chaewon. We were just stargazing is all." Yuri stammers.

"Sure you were." Chaewon replies in a tone that indicated she definitely wasn't buying that story.

"Anyway, yah, why are you out here in the first place, huh?" Yena says, putting up a confident façade. On the inside, she was definitely embarrassed, trying to wipe her tears away quickly.

"Oh, well...I guess we could use your help." She says.

"We?" Yuri and Yena ask at the same time.

"Yeah, we. You can stop hiding now, Min." From the bushes, Minjoo suddenly appears, shyly waving at the two.

"Since when have you guys been the type for nicknames?" Yena teased, causing Minjoo to become flustered.

"I never asked about your personal life duck-face." Chaewon replies snidely. Before Yena can rebut, Chaewon speaks again. "We're out here doing a favor for Chaeyeon-unnie." She whispers.

"And what would that be?" Yuri asks curiously.

"To find Gaeun and her team."

~~~~

Sakura wakes up feeling like someone had tied weights around her arms and thrown her into the ocean. She felt really heavy right now and extremely tired too. What the hell happened? She looks into her memories, neatly sorted and organized so that she could remember almost anything, and sighs. Oh yeah...that. She takes in her surroundings. She's in her bed and judging from the dark sky she sees from the window, it was nighttime. It must be past midnight now. She thinks. Sakura tries to move a bit more, but notices someone in a chair leaning over on her bed. It's Chaeyeon.

The slight movement is enough to wake the younger girl up. Sakura observes her trying to gather herself. Chaeyeon wasn't one of the oldest trainees, but many did acknowledge her as a mature leader. Despite this, Sakura knew she had a different side to her. She was goofy and joked around a lot. Her laugh was addictive, and when there was a beat or rhythm going, she'd dance a lot. There were many things Sakura saw in her that made her want to get closer to her, but her talk with Jurina the other day came back to her.

----------

Two days ago...

"Sakura, why did you go against the boss' orders? I was supposed to get to the finals so you could steal the data more discreetly. Now there are going to be more eyes on you." Jurina said.

"Wouldn't it have been better though that we waited until the final match so we could collect more footage and data?" Sakura responded, trying to make an excuse.

"The plan was for you to be observing the finals match so no one would see you. Idiot. We're going to have to change the plan." Jurina pinched the bridge of her nose, obviously annoyed at how things played out.

"I have a backup plan that I negotiated with someone. It'll cause a distraction, so you better get the job done. Download the data and send it to HQ." Sakura only nods, and at that moment, Chaeyeon called out to her. This was where they agreed to meet.

"Follow orders this time." She says coldly, pushing past her and not sparing Chaeyeon a second glance.

----------

"Saku-chan, are you okay?" Chaeyeon asked when she realized the older girl had awoken.

"Yeah, just that my head hurts a little." Chaeyeon gives her a concerned look.

"Tell me the truth, Sakura. What happened, and does whatever happened in the other match have something to do with it?" Sakura didn't know how to respond. She could only remember how Jurina had been so quick to knock Chaeyeon down because of her rebellion. Then, she remembers Chaeyeon's words from the other day. You can trust me. Sakura gulps before speaking.

"I don't know what Jurina did, but yes, they're connected." She replies. Chaeyeon looks at her with curious eyes, urging her to continue.

"Okay...so the truth is that the Japanese weren't sent here completely because of the peace treaty. They sent people like me along with them to blend in with the crowd and gather intel on the Koreans. My job is to download anything useful and send it to them."

"What about Nako and Hitomi? Are they in on this too?" Chaeyeon's expression has turned unreadable, and it makes Sakura nervous.

"No. As far as I know, they think this is an exchange program or something."

"That's good. Is there anyone else other than you and Jurina?" Sakura simply shakes her head.

"I can't be sure. There are different teams in Japan. I don't know if my boss coordinated with anyone else. I was simply told to follow orders."

Chaeyeon stands up and begins pacing the room. It's only now that Sakura realizes that they're alone. Where'd the others go? She thought, but decides to save her round of questions for later. When Chaeyeon stops walking, she turns to look at Sakura again. She's so sure that Chaeyeon was going to go off on her, scold her, or be upset that she'd betrayed them. She figured the chances were almost 100%, but the words that come out of are different.

"You didn't want to do it, did you?" Her question is laced with sympathy, as if she wasn't angry with what Sakura just confessed.

"No..." She says slowly. "But, why does it matter? I already sent it to them. They know all about South Korea's high-end training facility. They have data on almost every person here now. Aren't you mad at me?" Chaeyeon stares at her with that unreadable expression again, but then she approaches and hugs her.

"We're going to get through this." She whispers. "We're going to help you." There was no malice or resentment in her tone, just concern. Sakura remembers what Gaeun told her on her first day here. They were all mutants so whether they were Korean or Japanese, they're on the same side.

"Thanks, Chaeyeon." Another quality about her that Sakura always appreciated was her sense of concern, Chaeyeon always looked out for her friends and teammates, and even after what Sakura had admitted, she still cared for her well-being.

"So..." Sakura finally decides to address the elephant in the room. "Where're the others?"

Chaeyeon then fills her in on how she asked Chaewon and Minjoo to sneak around and look for Gaeun. Sakura nods but is obviously apprehensive. "They have to be careful. If Jurina is involved, they have to be sharper."

"Just trust them, okay? You need to get some rest anyway seeing as you must've overexerted yourself a while ago." Sakura starts to protest, but Chaeyeon isn't hearing it. Eventually, the tiredness catches up to her and she falls asleep again.

~~~~

As the moon shines overhead, four figures sneak around the dark corridors. Although the trainers were good people in their opinion, the guards stationed around the facility were not. They were just soldiers assigned to be here for their mandatory military service. Chaewon and Yena move ahead, being the older ones, to scout.

"I'm pretty sure the infirmary is somewhere close to here." Yena whispers. The group found themselves at a crossroads. Turning right would lead to the dormitory exit, going forward would lead to more rooms, while the infirmary was situated somewhere to their left. Chaewon turns to Minjoo signaling for her to check for guards and she disappears.

When she comes back, she relays what she's found. "I saw a couple guards at the front, but I think we can sneak by them. The problem is the infirmary. The lights are still on, so I assume someone's still in there, but there're guards in front it too."

"I have an idea!" Yuri says. "Chaewon, send a decoy forward and make some noise at the end of the corridor, so we can sneak by. When we get to the infirmary, leave the guards to me." Yuri sounded fairly confident, and Yena felt proud of her.

When the plan was ready, they settled in and put it into motion. Chaewon's clone goes forward and knocks over a potted plant. The guards up front are startled, and move in to investigate, giving the group a chance to sneak by.

As they approach the infirmary, Yuri turns and tells her friends to take cover, and moves in.

"Hello there!" She says cheerfully to the guards.

"Excuse me, miss, but you should be in your room right now." One of the guards grunts, clearly surprised at Yuri's tone.

"Really? I just went over here to get some medicine. I got a bit banged up during my match a while ago, you know? Why don't you guys step aside and take a break. I know you guys must be tired standing here all day." Yuri's words sound like they're laced with honey, sweet sounding, Yena almost thought the words were for her. She'd started to relax her shoulders before Chaewon smacked her. The two guards end up walking to their quarters in a daze, and Yuri signals the team to hurry in.

What they see when they get inside is not what they expected. Gaeun's team is spread across the beds all with various casts and bruises. They looked like someone had beaten them up and then some. The ruckus outside seemed to awaken only one of the members, Gaeun.

"Gaeun-unnie!" Chaewon yells as she rushes to the older girl's bed. She had nicks and bruises all over her too, but what stood out was a large gash in her abdomen.

"What're you guys doing here so late at night?" She asks.

"That isn't important now, unnie. What happened to you guys?" This time, Minjoo is the one who looks very concerned. Her face is etched with disbelief at what she was seeing in front of her.

Gaeun lets out a sigh. "Seoyoung happened." Is all she said.

"Yah, that girl? She really has no mercy." Yena says as she grits her teeth, remembering how she had stabbed Eunbi in the shoulder.

"Wait a minute..." Yuri begins to say. "Where's Jurina and Yunjin?"

Gaeun's face shifts between two very different expressions as she hears the two names. "Jurina left. She set us up for Seoyoung to tear apart. Her way with words is as impressive as yours." She says, addressing the last bit to Yuri. "She somehow convinced that monster that if she beat us all on her own, they'd immediately add her to the team. Jurina left her an opening and we were ambushed. When the dust settled, she was gone."

"And Yunjin?" Gaeun winces at the name of her favorite dongsaeng.

"She almost didn't make it. Seoyoung stabbed her in the chest, puncturing one of her lungs." She points her head in the direction of the intensive care unit where Yunjin is seen passed out, her heart beating along on the monitor next to her.

~~~~

Gaeun then relayed the whole story. How Jurina said she'd flank left, darting into the alleyways, giving Seoyoung an opening into their defense. By the time Gaeun heard the screaming and had used the wind to carry her back, she'd seen Goeun, Juri and Chowon on the ground, unmoving and blood everywhere. Seoyoung was standing over Yunjin, her bloodied metal blade for an arm poised to strike her down. Gaeun's past memories resurfaced.

She was down on the ground, an anti-mutant organization had broken into their safe house. Gaeun, around fifteen at the time, had a gun to her head, ready to fire. Gaeun! A voice yelled as the man next to her was thrown aside. He got up, raised his gun, and fired. Gaeun lost everyone except a young girl who had managed to deceive the men into thinking she'd ran. Yunjin was scared and anxious. Gaeun was her only guardian, and now, Yunjin was about to be taken from her too.

Gaeun yelled defiantly, forcing the wind to blow over Seoyoung, but the downward motion had already begun. The blade that was aimed at her heart missed, but the damage was already done. Seoyoung turned, looking at Gaeun with a maniacal smile as she charged towards her. By the time, the trainers intervened, Gaeun was sprawled on the ground, heaving tiredly. She couldn't feel her right side, and she could barely stand, but all she could think of was her beloved dongsaeng, who was being carried out on a stretcher.

"We tried to get in, but someone had jammed the door." Trainer Hongki had told her. "The strange thing was that when we opened it, it felt like a cold wind blew past us. I thought it was yours."

Jurina. That was the only thing she could think after realizing her teammate was gone.

"We're going to make an official announcement tomorrow, so we can get all the information correct. For now, you have to rest. I can heal you all in a matter of days, but Yunjin might take longer." Hongki said, looking somberly at the ground at the last part.

~~~~

"So, where's Seoyoung now?" Chaewon asked.

"I think they've managed to restrain her for now, but I would be a bit more careful if I were you guys. She said she'd come after you guys next." Gaeun warned.

"Thanks for the well wishes as well, but I think you girls should head back to your rooms. I wouldn't want you guys getting into any trouble now." She continues, smiling at the four of them, her eyes forming crescent shapes as well.

"Alright, unnie. We will." Yena says.

"One more thing by the way." Gaeun looks at Chaewon and Minjoo. "Is Sakura still around?" She continues when the two girls nod. "When you guys get back, make sure to tell Chaeyeon not to go looking for Jurina just yet. There are bigger problems right now. Sakura might want to, but we need her here."

"What does Sakura have to do with all of this?" Minjoo asks.

"I'm not exactly sure myself, but I hope Chaeyeon's managed to get her to talk by now."

The four girls say their goodbyes and sneak back to their respective rooms.

~~~~

The next morning was filled with confusion and tension. Everyone had been wondering why the first mission was cancelled as they entered the auditorium for the official announcement. Rumors were flying around the room so fast that if you somehow were asleep the whole day yesterday, you'd be up to speed in a jiffy.

I saw Gaeun's team being brought to the infirmary. One girl says.

Seoyoung was expelled. Another would say as her companion would argue. From what I heard, they have her locked up somewhere here.

Did Jurina just disappear...?

The crowd began to quiet down as representative Seunggi took the mic, ready to address everyone's concerns.

"First of all, I would like to apologize for the commotion yesterday. It was important to get everyone in a safe area where we could keep track of you all." He began. "Now, for the elephant in the room, Park Seoyoung has been expelled immediately and will be handed over to the proper authorities for her reckless behavior from the past two weeks. Lee Gaeun's team was heavily injured with one, Heo Yunjin, in critical condition. The force she attacked with was unprovoked and unnecessary for a mock combat situation where the goal isn't to incapacitate an entire team. Her teammate Lee Chaejeong will be under probation for her involvement while the rest of her team will be distributed to other groups." Chaejeong did her best to hide in her seat, but her camouflage wasn't as effective as Minjoo's disappearing act. All eyes were on her while her now ex-teammates looked anywhere except for her direction.

"Yah, so it was the two of them talking in the hallway the other night." Yuri said to Yena who was seated beside her.

"So, you think she made a deal with Jurina?" Yena asks back. Yuri nods. "It has to be related, but why..." She pouts, struggling to put the pieces together. Yuri had a bad habit of biting the inside her cheeks when she was focusing. The two of them along with Chaewon and Minjoo agreed to compare notes at lunch time, seeing as though Sakura was somehow involved.

"What're you two talking about?" A voice buts in, Yujin's. "You guys look tired. Had some fun last night?" She asks, wiggling her eyebrows. The two can only roll their eyes as Wonyoung grabs hold of Yujin's ear to get her attention back.

"Yah, you and your imagination. Seunggi-sunbae is still speaking." Before she directs Yujin's attention back to the stage, she gives Yuri a knowing look, as if saying. Tell us later.

Seunggi continues speaking, "Next, I regretfully announce that Matsui Jurina has withdrawn from the 'Produce Camp' and will return to Japan as per the prime minister."

In a further row, Sakura's jaw hangs open. "She really left me like that?" It frustrated her how after everything she did, Sakura was expendable. She may have disliked the jobs she had to do, but the realization that you're simply a tool to someone else is just sickening. Chaeyeon senses this and gently pats her on the shoulder to calm her down. Sakura simply huffs, spitting out some not-so-friendly comments about her former partner in Japanese.

"Gaeun told you all she ran, right?" Chaeyeon asks Chaewon seated next to her.

"Yeah, I wonder how much Japan is holding against us for them to try to change the narrative." When she and Minjoo had gotten back, Sakura was asleep again, but Chaeyeon wasn't. They exchanged information that was surprising to both sides. At first, Chaewon was furious at Sakura for sneaking on everyone like she did, but after Chaeyeon explained, she felt more sympathy towards her, always having to follow orders.

"Lastly, I would like to congratulate the two teams the faced off in the final round." Seunggi said. "Though, we had to cancel it, rest assured, we took note of your efforts. As for everyone else, there are more challenges and opportunities to become stronger. Though only 12 members will be selected, any of you can rise up to the occasion when necessary so it is important to always train like you are part of the final team. Thank you all for listening and good luck again." Before he can leave, trainer Yoon-jeong whispered something in his ear as if reminding him of something. "Ah, yes. Before I forget, Kwon Eunbi, please make your way to the office before lunch." And with that ominous call-out out of the way, the trainees make their way out. Eunbi is simply stuck in her chair wondering what she'd done. Are they really going to kick me out? She thought, but it was interrupted by Nako coming up to her and being the cheery presence she is. "Unnie! I hope you didn't do anything to get in trouble." She says cutely.

"Don't worry, I didn't. This is just for a meeting as a leader for our team the past matches probably." Eunbi says quickly. Nako is still skeptical. "Then why didn't he call Chaeyeon-unnie too?"

"Just don't worry about it. I'll be fine." And she walks off running into Chaeyeon.

"Oh, hi Eunbi-unnie!" She greets. "Good luck in the principal's office." She continues with a laugh.

"But in all seriousness, there's something I want to discuss with you concerning yesterday's events. Maybe we can discuss it over lunch later? And bring your members too, they'll be important."

"Alright then" Eunbi nods. "I'll see you guys there."

----------

"So, why'd you want to see me, sunbaenim?" Eunbi asks, nervous about why she had been called to the office a second time.

"Yes, I have an important matter to discuss with you." Seunggi says in a serious tone, handing her a folder with several documents inside.

"What's this?"

"Everything you need to know is written in there. Read through it a bit first."

After a couple minutes, Eunbi places the folder back on the desk and gives Seunggi a determined look. "I'll do it." She says.

"Are you sure? You will be held accountable for what happens in the future." Eunbi only nods. "Good, I have high hopes for you. It won't take something like powers to do the job. It's a trait that you have, and I hope you do well." Seunggi concludes, and with that, Eunbi is excused.

~~~~

"I'm glad I managed to gather you all here on this fine day." Chaeyeon begins. The members from both finalist teams had taken a table that could fit twelve people and sat around with their lunches in front of them.

"Yah, unnie. We kind of didn't have a choice since you dragged us here to this table with you." Yujin whines. Chaeyeon looks over threatening to hit her for that.

"Moving on, there's something off with what representative Lee said at the briefing. Jurina didn't just leave, she's the reason why Gaeun and her team are in the infirmary right now." The others looked surprised by this tidbit of information.

"Jurina-san?" Nako asks. "Aren't you close with her, Saku-chan? What's the deal?" She gives her a questioning look that would've been serious if Nako could manage to look threatening at all.

"Slow down detective Pikachu. We were getting there." Nako only glares at Chaeyeon for that side comment. "Sakura, care to explain?" And with that, Sakura takes a deep breath and explains her history with Jurina and their mission here. By the end, the faces of the other girls ranged from shocked to disbelief to betrayal.

"Yah, how could you guys do that?" Yena says out of nowhere, slamming her hands on the table. "Most of us are here because we wanted to help people like us, and you guys just barge in here and steal data to weaponize it? Don't you care about other mutants?" Sakura could only look downwards, guilt written on her face.

"Yena, calm down. She already admitted to it. She wants to help us." Chaeyeon says.

"She already sent the data, it's not like she can take it back." Yena is clearly not happy with Sakura's actions while the others simply observe.

"I thought that at first too, Yena, but think about it, she was just used. She didn't have much of a choice." Chaewon says to try to quell Yena's mood. She then feels a hand on her shoulder, turning to see Yuri give her an empathetic look. "Give her a chance, Yena." At this, Yena's expression softens and she feels embarrassed. "I'm sorry Sakura, I let my emotions get the better of me." Sakura did say that she was forced to do it by Jurina, then left behind like a broken tool. Maybe she was too quick to judge.

"I've heard of those undercover Japanese mutants." Hyewon interjects. Once again, the quiet girl had captured everyone's attention. "I should know since I was sent here to find them." That bombshell rocked everyone at the table. She smirks. "Japan isn't the only country with an undercover group." Hyewon then explains how she was sent here to pose as a normal mutant, but in reality, she'd been trained by special forces to hone her skills and ability to keep an unreadable expression. Her silence wasn't out of shyness, but her way of learning everyone's personalities and looking for clues.

"I heard when you and Hitomi were talking the other night with Gaeun's teammates that you were suspecting Jurina and Sakura, so I got curious." She says to Nako. After this, she looks at Chaewon and Minjoo. "Yesterday night, I heard a door open and I decided to take a look. When I saw you two sneaking out, I decided to follow. Do you think those guards up front just stayed away after you caused that distraction?" The group was now in awe of Hyewon's story. The only one who looked unsurprised by any of the news was Eunbi, who was sitting back observing until that point.

"So, what are you getting at?" She asks Hyewon.

"Well, Sakura, you may have power over technology, but I doubt you could've sent those files all the way to Japan that quick. There must be a base somewhere near the facility." She deduces.

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about it!" Sakura says, recalling some old information. "The Japanese have this frequency that I use to send them things. Normally, I hone in on it and send the data to the closest base, and there just so happens to be one near the city."

"So, you're saying we go there and steal it back?" Wonyoung guesses.

"Woah, wait, are we gonna be a team now?" Yujin asks. "Aren't we still in the middle of competing to make the final team?"

"If we wait that long, the data would've already been sent." Sakura says. "Since it was a lot of information, it would take a couple days to decrypt it all, so we have a window to go get it."

"This is so cool!" Nako shouts. "We're gonna be spie-" Hitomi covers to avoid attracting more attention seeing as though people were already looking in the direction of Nako's yelling. The group laughs along already starting to get closer.

"We're going to have to inform representative Lee about this." Minjoo says. "We need his permission to go out on this mission."

"Aish, Minjoo, do you always have to be a model trainee? We can just sneak out." Chaewon responds.

"I've never snuck out before in my life." Hitomi comments randomly, intrigued by the plan.

"Well, dear, then you're about to have the experience of a life time." Chaewon says cheerfully, as if it wasn't a major offense.

"I've never played hooky before either..." Minjoo quietly grumbles to herself while Yena pats her back sympathetically.

"I guess it's decided, then? We're gonna sneak out and take the data back." Eunbi concludes. "We should take some time to come up with plans. Why don't we meet back up at dinner time?" The group nods in agreement to her proposal.

"Thanks for forgiving me, everyone. I promise to do my best to make things right." Sakura says, Chaeyeon giving her a supportive grin.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura-unnie! That's what friends are for!" Yujin responds.

Friends, huh? I like the sound of that. Sakura thinks to herself. She'd always been stuck with Jurina for most missions that she could never get close with anyone. She'd gone to the same facility back in Japan with Nako for years, but it feels like only now that she's getting to know her. She looks around at the group happily eating lunch and laughing, and smiles. Sakura hadn't felt that way for a while.