[Chapter 7]

The Spy's Secret

Taeyeon shifted in her seat and cleared the minute both Yuri and Yoona had settled down. The last thing she wanted was for somebody to hear their meeting. All of their secrets would be known to someone outside of the group! The leader glanced at the slightly open door, causing the tomboy outside the room to quickly retreat away. Thankfully for Amber, from Taeyeon's angle she saw nothing out of the ordinary from before. “Alright then.” The general called out, keeping order out of the three of them. “Let's continue.” For now, Amber figured to just listen in on the conversation. The last thing she wanted to do was get caught for too much curiosity.

Before General Taeng could ask the maknae the usual question of how her mission went over the break, both shippers of the Taeny 'couple' leaned in excitedly. It was obvious of what they wanted to hear and the look in their eyes admittedly startled the shortest girl there. They were full of lust for her and Tiffany's intimate moments, but would it be enough to satisfy these hardcore shippers? Still, Taeyeon played as if she didn't know what everything was about. The leader innocently tilted her head and asked one thing. “Mwo?” Maybe these two were excited for something else, no matter how unlikely that would be.

“Aww, c'mon unnie! Don't be like that.” Yoona whined with a small pout forming on her lips. “Tell us! We wanna know.” The youngest member demanded, throwing a mini tantrum at the group's leader. Her arms folded across her chest as she huffed out a breath in frustration. This topic only intrigued Amber more, having her inch closer to the small door opening again. Whatever these three were talking about was definitely better than what the other girls were talking about.

A single eyebrow rose in confusion from the General. “Tell you what?” She questioned with the same innocent voice. The leader wasn't stupid. She knew right away what they wanted, but if playing dumb meant her not sharing her story first then by all means, she was going to do that. There was a reason why she always went last during all of the meetings.

Yuri clicked her tongue irritably. The kkab knew that the oldest girl was doing. “Tell us about you and Tiffany!” She demanded, trying so hard not to shout out loud, but when a hard headed danshin was avoiding the question Yuri couldn't help but raise her voice a bit. Taeyeon let out a defeated sigh, and that symbolized one thing to the two girls. Before their leader could say a word, the 'twins' were already giggling excitedly. And yet, the general said nothing. Yuri knew that if Taeyeon wasn't going to start talking on her own, then she might as well make her talk. “Did you two kiss?”

A spark of excitement twinkled in Yoona's eye at the thought. “Are you two dating?” The captain added while leaning forward even more. This was always so exciting to her. She had to know! Taeyeon's interactions with her crush was always the number one thing she looked forward to in their meetings. Who knows what could they have done during Christmas!

Suddenly, a thought rose to the Black Pearl's head. Instantly, her hands covered her now agape mouth that couldn't stop her from gasping and blurting out the one thing on her mind. “Did you two have ?!”

Everyone's mouths dropped in shock. Even Amber, outside the door, couldn't stop her jaw from hitting the floor, so to speak. The whole bombardment of questions was really making the tomboy's head spin. Kiss? Date? ?! I didn't know Tiff went...that way! Slowly, Amber pressed herself against the door, careful not to move it. Even if what the other two said was nothing more than accusations, Amber had to find out who else in her small group of close friends swung that way.

General Taeng rose a finger to to hush the two. “Quiet guys! I don't want anyone to hear!” Taeyeon glanced towards the door that looked untouched. Thinking nothing was wrong with it, the leader of the group stared right into the eyes of the other members. “Look, I'll tell what happened only if you two shut up!” Peaking spy Amber let out a gentle chuckle at the group's antics. This was no doubt more amusing than talking about dresses and actors with the other girls out there.

Both members smiled happily and nodded to the higher ranked girl, motioning as if they had zipped their mouths closed. In a sense, the general wished for that to actually happen so that she wouldn't have to be pressured into telling what went on during break. But alas, it was something that obviously couldn't be done. Taeyeon took a deep breath in a last ditch effort to remember what happened on that day. Her lips pursed tightly while her heart pounded loudly in her chest, remembering everything as if it were just yesterday.

Too nervous to be the first to share, Taeyeon's eyes quickly shuffled away from the only two other people in the room. “Y-You know what? I change my mind. I-I'll only tell if someone else goes first.” The leader of the group folded her arms across her chest with authority. She very much looked like a stubborn child that wouldn't do anything without getting what she wanted. Looking to the other members, General Taeng settled her eyes on the closest girl next to her, which happened to be the Black Pearl. “Yuri-ah. How about you go first?” She rose a challenging eyebrow, trying her best to get her heart rate to lower down. Any faster and Taeyeon mentally feared that she would pass out from nervousness.

Yuri simply rolled her eyes, realizing that their short leader was trying to do anything to avoid story time. “Aish.” She breathed out frustrated. No matter how badly the 'twins' would want their leader to go first, that shortie in the group would always make up some excuse to not share. Running her hand through her hair, Yuri mumbled a reluctant, “Fine.” The Black Pearl swatted the air in hopes to rid anymore excuses that would be pouring into the meeting. Yuri knew that getting down to the point, and completely avoiding the long details, would get her and Yoona that much closer to hearing Taeyeon's interactions with Tiffany. What better way to share than to keep it short but sweet? “Sica and I are dating. Now spill!” The words poured out of with ease and confidence, like she had recited that very answer countless times to other people. It was as if she thought her story would be nowhere near as juicy nor interesting as the others. However...

MWO?!

JINJA?!

“Wait a minute unnie!” Yoona placed her hands out in front of her, trying to put their entire conversation at a standstill. Her eyes locked with a very confused Yuri. “You and Jessica-unnie are dating?” Yoona glanced at Taeyeon, curious if whether or not she heard everything right. When the youngest member realized that her ears weren't deceiving her, she looked back at her older counterpart. This was something she really wasn't expecting.

Yuri's lips pursed lightly as her eyebrows crashed together in a very confused manner. “Well, yeah?” The lieutenant tilted her head to the side, staring at the two baffled members. Was it really that interesting? Then again, maybe that memory of her already texting this news to the others was just a dream. “It's not that interesting-”

“That's very interesting Yuri-ah!” Taeyeon interrupted. It was hard to not be loud when a member has gotten to the point of dating the girl of her dreams. “You have to tell us how it happened. How did you ask her out?” This time it was the general's turn to be a fangirl. If this was what it was like to be a shipper, there was no wonder the 'twins' were constantly trying to get her to spill about her and Tiffany.

From behind the door, Amber's eyebrows rose in slight shock. She surely expected the kkab of the group to go off and brag about being in a relationship to her best friends by now. Then again, the only way she found out about Jessica and Yuri going out was from Krystal after she and Jess had some sisterly talk. Maybe Yuri wasn't that much of a kkab as Amber thought. Either that or Jessica told the darker girl not to be so open about their relationship just yet. After all, the Jung sisters did wear the pants in the relationship, or rather, they were the ones that held the whip.

Blinking in disbelief at the question, Yuri sat there trying to tap into her memories. She had already made a lot of memories with her new girlfriend even if it was just a week ago. All the thoughts placed a smile on her face as she glanced up at the eager members. So, she told her story. Yuri explained of how she tricked Jessica to go shopping with her by trying to buy a present for Krystal. Then how she secretly bought couple rings for them to wear and how both were wearing it at this exact moment. Yuri even flashed it around just a bit, but of course Taeyeon secretly knew what the price really was for the thing. The Black Pearl continued her dating story with her discovery of Jessica's source for sadness and how she took Jessica to her favorite restaurant in a means to cheer her up. “I then reached in the bag, took out the ring and opened it, asking if she would be my girlfriend.” Yuri smiled, remembering how shocked her Ice Princess looked. In fact, the other members were staring at her with the same surprised look that Sica had.

“You just...” Yoona began, losing the rest of her sentence to disbelief. “You just asked her out like that?” Her older look-a-like simply nodded to the question. Obviously Yuri saw nothing wrong with it. It got her the girl, so why would she regret her method of asking Jessica out? Yoona, on the other hand, was still bothered. “But how did you know it was the right moment to ask? Don't you think it was too...sudden?”

From the corner of her eye, Yuri spotted a very curious Taeyeon leaning in. Obviously she didn't want to miss the answer that was about to pour out of . “Honestly Yoona-yah, I wasn't exactly in my right mind when I asked.” She chuckled softly. “The only thing I was actually thinking about was how I needed to calm down. Otherwise, whatever would come out of my mouth would be nothing but some weird gibberish.” Yuri smiled softly at the adrenaline rush she remembered receiving just before she asked the question. “I knew that I wanted to make her happy. I knew that if her family couldn't make her happy then I would try my very best to make her happy. Asking Jessica out was really the only thing that came to mind.” Her eyes locked onto Yoona. “The whole thing wasn't exactly planned. My first intention was to have the rings as just friendship rings, not couple rings. Then...I don't know. The question just sort of...slipped.” A gentle chuckle came from the older 'twin'. “But I don't regret it happening because then I wouldn't be where I am now with my lovely Sica.” Yuri let out a dreamy sigh at the thought of her and her new lover.

Both members giggled at the love drunk look their friend had on her face. Even Amber quietly snickered just outside the meeting room. “Yah, Yuri-ah. Control your thoughts.” Taeyeon teased while grabbing some tissues from the tissue box beside her. “You might get a nose bleed.” The general chuckled softly with the captain as Lieutenant Yul embarrassingly accepted the nose cleaners.

“Says the biggest byun in the group.” Yuri mumbled as she dabbed her nose only to discover that there wasn't any bleeding at all. The lieutenant balled up the tissue with a small smile on her face and tossed it in the nearby trashcan. “But hey, I told my story so now it's your turn.” She commanded with a pointed finger at the group leader. “You said you were going to tell after I told my story. So get on with it.” Yuri shooed the air between them, as if ready to swap away any excuses the general would try firing at her.

Pursing her lips tightly, Taeyeon knew that she couldn't make up anymore excuses without the 'twins' getting completely whiny for an answer. For all she knew, the look-a-likes would probably strangle the story right out of her. “Okay. Okay. I guess it's my turn now.” General Taeng spoke while scratching the back of her head. Even if she wasn't the last one to share as always, going second was better than first. Taeyeon's main thought now was where to start because in a sense she knew that she was going to share with the others what happened, she just didn't know where to begin. What parts would be good enough to keep? What parts should just be completely skipped over?

With a gentle shrug to herself, Taeyeon found it best to just start at the beginning and how she spent her morning with Tiffany the day she was supposed to leave for home. The general spoke about how she always hated leaving Tiffany by herself and that they spent as much time together as they could before she had to get ready to go. She told the others about how they went to the same stuff toy place Yuri went to so they could buy gifts for each other and how Yuri completely clipped her shoulder when she chased after an angry Sica. Taeyeon also talked about the drive home and how she swore she saw Yoona delivering an entire box of goguma to Seohyun's house. It was something the captain wasn't ashamed to admit to. Eventually Taeyeon got to where she and Tiffany packed her things for the trip home. She also told about how soon after getting to the bus station, she had to come back home to Tiffany since no tickets were available before Christmas.

The room was hushed and eager for General Taeng to continue with the ending of her holiday story. However, Taeyeon paused for a long moment, mentally arguing with herself. She figured it was okay to tell the thing on her mind because no one inside the room would retell everything they talked about at the meeting. It was one of their rules after all. With a soft breath, Taeyeon looked up at the others. “This was when I found out why Fany-ah was so sad over the holidays.” Just before she could say another word, the story teller paused for a moment.

Silence settled in the room with a depressing aura as everyone waited. From the way Taeyeon spoke, it had to be something none of them could imagine. The hushed air was awkward and quiet until Yoona chirped out a gentle, “Unnie...” Everyone's attention instantly went to her. “What was the reason?” The youngest member pursed her lips gently. Next to her was Yuri who was nodding just as curiously. Although, they hoped that it would be okay for Taeyeon to explain. The last thing they wanted to do was cross any lines on what could be a very sensitive topic.

Taeyeon pursed her lips tighter to try and build up the courage to tell. Did she have a right to say? With a final glance at the awaiting listeners, the group leader knew she could trust the others not to say anything. “Back in the states, she lost her umma to cancer.” As the words she just said finally sank into their heads, the once happy atmosphere from everyone seemed to have fell off the face of the Earth. Everyone listening in on the conversation blinked in disbelief. Who would have known that the most bubbly girl at tonight's party had gone through such a heart wrenching tragedy? “Fany-ah moved to Korea to try and start over. For the most part she's fine, but holidays always bring her down because it was the number one time she was happiest with her umma.” The thought of a young and carefree Tiffany with her mother surfaced in her head.

However, no matter how hard she tried, the painful picture of a heart broken Tiffany replaced the once gleeful image in Taeyeon's mind. It ached her heart to remember what Tiffany looked like. Those tear stained cheeks and her clutched arms around everything so near and dear to her. This was definitely a sight she could never forget. “When I came home from the bus station, I found Fany-ah crying. She told me everything when I went to comfort her.”

Again, silence struck the air as puzzle pieces were fitting into the final picture. Everything made sense now. The usually bubbly girl would always wear a mask to hide her tear stained face. Trying to lighten up the awkward atmosphere in the room, Yuri leaned towards the group's leader. “So then...” Her eyes locked right with Taeyeon. “Did you kiss her?” Everyone looked at the lieutenant very puzzled. How could she ask a question like that after something so serious was just said? Spotting the confused faces from everyone in the room, Yuri tried her best to catch herself from the situation she just tossed herself into. “Uh, you know...to make things better? Because, everyone knows that kisses make everything better.” Lieutenant Yul let out a nervous chuckle while flashing the others a weak smile. All she could do for now was hope that it wasn't that bad of an excuse for asking.

Kid leader Taengoo chuckled, eventually realizing what the Black Pearl was trying to do. “I wish I did...” She rubbed the back of her neck and let out a sigh. In her head, Taeyeon thought about what happened after she had comforted Tiffany. It put a small smile on her face. “After I confessed to her that is.” Her eyes shifted between the 'twin' members, anxiously waiting for their reaction.

The look-a-like members gasped the minute they realized what Taeyeon had just said. In an instant they squealed excitedly at the news. “You confessed unnie?!” Yoona questioned while leaning forward. It was now time for the bombardment of questions.

Pushing her face close to Taeyeon, Yuri piped in with, “How did it go?” There was an obvious twinkle in her eye for a positive answer. It wasn't that hard to see.

“What did Tiffany-unnie say? Does she like you back?” Yoona added as she clasped her hands together hopefully. It was as if she were praying for the two to have mutual feelings. Her eyes locked with Taeyeon anxiously.

Yuri suddenly gasped at the thought that suddenly surfaced in her head. “Are you two a couple?!” The Lieutenant grabbed Taeyeon's hands tightly. She was ready to squeeze the answer right out of the little leader.

Too dumbfounded with how the other members reacted, Taeyeon said absolutely nothing and just stared at them. Her voice was too scared to answer, wondering what else could be unleashed if she said so much as another word. “TELL US!” Both girls demanded from the leader at the same time. No way were they going to let Taeyeon run around and avoid the question this time! They wanted to know now!

“Yah! Quiet!” Taeyeon ordered to silence them. “I told you I wouldn't tell if you two are loud! The last thing I want is for someone to barge in thinking there's a dying animal in here.” The 'twins' quickly pursed their lips, sealing it shut with an imaginary zipper. It certainly would be an awkward scenario. As everyone began to settle down, General Taeng let out a long sigh. “I confessed to her when I gave her the necklace that she's wearing right now.” A gentle smile crept onto her face as she touched her own necklace. “She has the lock and I have the key.” Taeyeon chuckled softly. “I told her that I wanted to unlock her heart.”

A dreamy, “Aww.” escaped Yuri and Yoona's lips. The leader couldn't understand why though. That line was nothing but completely cheesy. Still, it seemed to be enough to pacify the two fangirls as they curled their fingers in and quietly spazzed at the thought of the main lovers exchanging the dazzling necklaces around each other's necks. After the excitement died down a bit, Yoona turned her attention to Taeyeon. “So does that mean you two are official?” Both girls looked to their leader hopefully.

The question made Taeyeon purse her lips tightly. Should she tell these two? Who knows how crazy they'll react to her answer? Then again, there was no actual way of avoiding the question either. With a nervous gulp, Taeyeon looked away from the two and stared at the coffee table in front of her... “Aniyo.” Jaws dropped from every listener in attendance. The way Taeyeon explained her day with Tiffany made it sound as if they were definitely going to be an official couple. She was there for her, comforting her and a shoulder to lean on in Tiffany's time of need. How did they not end up being together?

Seeing the look in the member's eyes was a sign right away for Taeyeon to explain or get bombarded with more questions. “Fany-ah knew what I was asking.” The group leader spoke just before the others could say a word. Instantly they settled down to hear the explanation. There had to be a real reason as to why the Taeny ship hadn't sailed officially. Taeyeon let out a quiet breath to steady her mind, eventually locking eyes with the others and continuing on. “She knew that I wanted us to be a couple, but she put her answer on hold.” Taeyeon spoke with a heavy sigh. “Fany-ah never said yes, but she never said no either. What she wanted was time to think this through because as much as us having a life together would be amazing...she just wasn't sure if me being her life long partner would be...right.”

The lips of everyone listening pursed slightly. It wasn't hard to realize what Taeyeon was referring to. There was only one thing that would block the two from getting together. It was the one thing that many believed. It was also the very thing Tiffany highly cherished and, rather strictly, followed. “So her religion...” Yuri started, not even able to finish the rest of what she was about to say. Even Amber stared down at her wrist, spotting the religious tattoo she had gotten on one of her birthdays while she was still in the states. She shared the same beliefs as Tiffany, but obviously her religion couldn't stop her from being with the love her heart craved for. If God loved her then he would accept her no matter what.

Taeyeon let out a gentle sigh, barely nodding her head up and down. It wasn't hard to understand. “I respect her religion. Really I do. But I just wish that she would put it aside for once so that her heart could make its own decisions.” The general paused for a moment. “Ever since what happened to her umma, she's lived her life following rules that were written in that book...and if I was the right person for her, but she would only reject me because of some writing in a book then...” Taeyeon let out a sigh and put her face into her hands. The thought of losing the girl she absolutely fell head over heels over crushed her heart. She wanted to cry. Then again, Taeyeon knew she shouldn't because in the end of it all Tiffany never exactly rejected her. For now, it was just a matter of waiting. The only question Taeyeon was troubled with was how long did she have to wait?

Yoona's lips pursed tightly at the sight of what was usually the group's bright leader. No doubt she felt bad for Taeyeon. She knew that Seohyun followed Tiffany's religion too, just not as strictly as the American native. “Unnie...don't lose hope yet. Tiffany-unnie never said 'no' right? So just keep your fingers crossed. I know I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.” The maknae of the group then held her hands up, fingers crossed just like she said, giving a hopeful smile to the general.

“And that goes for me too!” Yuri added, following suit of the captain, as well as kissing her finger tips for good luck. “I will go down with this ship so there's no way I'm giving up on you two!” The lieutenant cried out victoriously, only to receive a small scold from the general for once again being too loud.

Still, Taeyeon couldn't help but smile at the good luck wishes her members were sending her. Were they really hoping for her and Tiffany to be together? Unbeknownst to the kid leader, a certain tomboy in a tuxedo had also crossed her fingers, mentally sending luck to the oldest one at the party. Amber never found it fair that she could have a happy relationship while others couldn't, whether or not religion played a factor. “Gamsahamnida.” Taeyeon said with a small bow of her head. Knowing that she was getting even some support flattered her. And to think that before this little group was started, Taeyeon thought the whole world was against her because she was different.

Yuri then shooed the air between them. “So just, forget all of that for now. Tiffany will tell you her answer when she's ready, but for now just enjoy the time you two have together and don't even worry about it. In the end, who knows? She might let her heart decide for her.” The Black Pearl of the house hold smiled warmly at the leader. It was a genuine smile, and Taeyeon knew that. At least, until, “It's not impossible for a shortie like you to be filled with so much love.” Yuri laughed the minute the kid leader's expression fell to a glare for the short joke.

In the back of her mind, Taeyeon knew that Yuri was just trying to get her mind off the subject, even if it did mean insulting her. To stay away from another feud, Taeyeon simply diverted her attention to the other girl in the room. “Tell us Yoona. What happened over the break between you and Seohyun? Are you two dating too?” Her eyebrows raised hopefully, expecting a positive answer to come marching out of the maknae's mouth. Just because she wasn't in a relationship didn't mean she wished the same fate for someone else.

Hearing the sudden question made Yoona's lips purse tightly. Immediately she looked away from her unnies as she tried to find the voice to answer. The thought of telling the others was nerve wracking as always. In no time her heartbeat started to race to infinity. She always loved her moments with Seohyun, it's just that this time it was more memorable. With a deep breath, Yoona breathed out a quiet, “...Aniyo...” as she hung her head. Alas, that was the real truth. No matter how much quality time she spent with Seohyun, the two weren't considered a couple.

Both Yuri and Taeyeon glanced at each other. It wasn't hard for them to tell what each other was thinking. In a sense they both saw this sort of result coming. Why? It wasn't because of Yoona. Instead, they knew how shy and innocent Seohyun was. Getting the girl to accept the question from a seemingly sudden love for her was something with a much obvious outcome. Yuri loosely interlaced her fingers while locking eye to eye with the youngest member. “So then, what happened?” Her head tilted curiously to one side.

That's when Yoona told her story. She spoke of when she and Seohyun met at the mall and bought a measly little present for her parents. Yoona also told of how she took her crush to the street market and they spent an incredible time buying all of these things for cheap compared to the name brand stores. She also told about the whole box of goguma that the old lady vendor sold to her at such a great deal and how Seohyun's mouth watered enough to fill the Han river. Yoona couldn't help but laugh to herself when she pictured Seohyun's lustful face for the sweet potatoes.

The maknae then paused her story and shifted her gaze between the two unnies. “Have either of you ever been to Seohyun's house around the holiday season?” Her head tilted to one side. Yoona knew that all nine of them have never been to Seohyun's house when the festivity started, but what about individually? Was it only Yoona that Seohyun pushed away or were the others also treated just the same? The older girls in the room looked at each other and then back at the story teller, shaking their head negatively to answer her. “That's what I thought.” Yoona mumbled quietly. “It was the first time I've ever stepped foot in her house around Christmas time and I can just say that it was...it was different.” Yoona's lips pursed gently, realizing that she had to continue. So she did, talking about bringing the goguma into Seohyun's kitchen and waiting for her crush to come out of her room.

“Seohyun finally came out after a long time. I couldn't see it until she walked down the stairs, but it was obvious that she was crying. Her eyes were red and puffy and her cheeks still looked a little wet from constantly wiping away her tears.” Yoona lowered her gaze, remembering how hurt her beloved Seohyun looked. “So I invited her to come spend every Christmas from now on with me. Of course she said yes so that she wouldn't be by herself anymore.” A pleasant smile slithered onto Yoona's face. “She then hugged me really tightly with her arms around my neck. All I could really do was hug her back. Then...”

Yoona paused as blush and a smile surfaced onto her features. Seeing how embarrassed the maknae was getting, Yuri couldn't help but nudge Taeyeon with her elbow, snickering about the whole situation. Immediately they reverted back to normal when they knew Yoona was going to talk again. “We looked into each others eyes and...” Again the captain paused with her story. Her cheeks flustered an even darker shade of pink at the memory of what had happened between her and her crush. To Yoona, this was the most contact she and Seohyun had ever had. There were just way too many butterflies in her stomach to explain.

Trying to hear Yoona's gentle voice, Amber leaned more against the door. Her words had gotten too soft for earshot and she could easily miss the explanation that the two girls next to her would be able to hear clearly. Still, the tomboy wanted to know how the situation ended. Did Yoona and Seohyun kiss? Did they embarrassingly bump noses? What happened? The tomboy took one last look to see if Yoona was mumbling something to the other members. Thankfully, she wasn't missing anything. The deep blush on the captain's face was very obvious to see though.

The suspense was killing her. She had to know how this ended! Maybe opening the door just a little more wouldn't hurt. Right? Quietly pushing the door open just a tiny more, Amber took a step closer. However, being in a crouching position for so long caused her legs to fall asleep. That one step forward was the biggest wake up call her legs had gotten in a long time. Instantly, they failed and down the tomboy went causing a small yelp to rip from , only to crash through the door and completely expose the secret meting that now came to a sudden halt. Looking up, Amber was only met with three pairs of glaring eyes. Upon seeing the unamused faces, the tomboy gave a weak smile and wave. “Heh. An-Annyeong unnies...” She chuckled nervously.

Even with the attempt to lighten the mood, none of the members cracked a smile. “Looks like we've got ourselves a little spy.” Taeyeon finally spoke while folding her arms. The leader of the group leaned back with a high and mighty aura coming off her. An unnerving gulp slithered down the eavesdropper's throat when she spotted the fire in Taeyeon's eyes. She had never seen such a sight until now. T-They wouldn't hurt me right? In a quick snap, General Taeng stared down the intruder while muttering just one command,

“Get her.”

Instantly, the 'twins' dove for the intruder. Poor Amber was too startled from the command to react. Her numbed out legs prevented her from even getting to her feet before both Yuri and Yoona were on either side of her. As the look-a-likes were literally dragging the youngest one in the room to a sofa, Taeyeon strolled to the door and closed it, making sure to lock it so no more distractions would interrupt their meeting.

Not knowing of what the three of them would do to her made Amber panic. If Taeyeon had that fierce of a side to her then who knows what other side Yoona and Yuri had! “M-Mianhae unnies! Mianhae! Just let me go!” She cried out while squirming in the girls' arms. “I-I didn't hear a thing! I swear I won't tell-”

“YAH!” Taeyeon roared, knowing that she had to get the eavesdropper to quiet down before anyone else would barge in. Instantly, all the struggling stopped. If a mad Taeyeon was going to be a second Hellsica then Amber would gladly pass on that display. She already had to deal with the original, there was no need for a duplicate to come out. “Quiet down. If any of the others out there hear us, then we definitely have a problem. Arasso?” General Taeng muttered fiercely, watching Amber slowly nod her head. The high authority figure s into her usual seat while watching the other three on the longer sofa. “Now tell us, what did you hear?”

This side of the usually dorky girl startled Amber a little, even frightening her to a point. Now she knew not to mess with whatever cult the three of them were in. “I-I didn't hear anything unnies.” The tomboy gulped nervously. “Jinja!” Amber's lips pursed tightly, hoping that any of the girls would buy her obviously fake lie.

Displeased glares only shot her way again. “What did you hear?!” Yoona demanded. The last thing she wanted was for the group of college friends to be awkward around each other all because some high school blabbermouth exposed everything to the other girls. “Tell us!” The captain rose her voice. The thought of Seohyun giving her the cold shoulder for the rest of her life slammed around in Yoona's head. How would she be able to deal with the girl she loves the most constantly ignoring her? That would be completely heart breaking!

“Okay! Okay!” The tuxedo bearer called out in shock. This group of theirs was very serious if even Yoona was like this just to find out what she heard. First thing was first though, she had to make Yoona let go of her arm before she lost all feeling to her hand. Trying to use her other hand to pry off the girl's tight grip only ended in failure as Yuri made sure Amber wouldn't move. The tomboy sighed in defeat, figuring that she might as well try to function the rest of her life without a hand.

“I heard everything.” She finally mumbled, balling her hand in a lose fist and relaxing it to try and circulate whatever blood was still left in her arm. “I started listening in when I heard Yoona-unnie say how no one should hear whatever you guys were talking about.” Eventually the youngest group member's grip loosened once she realized her name was mentioned. “I wanted to know more so I kept listening.” With one hand now free, the tomboy rubbed the back of her neck in an awkward manner guiltily. “I didn't know I was listening in on some super secret meeting until later on. Mianhae unnies. I promise I won't tell any of the others.”

Judging by the last sentence that slithered out of Amber's mouth, everyone in the group knew that she was serious. They wouldn't have to worry about the high school attendee gossiping to everyone about their love life to everyone she knew. Eventually, the group relaxed. Not long after, a thought popped into Taeyeon's head. “Yah, Amber.” Everyone in the room looked at the General. “I was just thinking. You know our secret and you're technically Krystal's 'Seobang'. So...how about instead of us keeping it a secret from you, would you like to join us?” Her eyebrows rose hopefully for a confirmation. “You would be a minor member, you know, since you're still in high school.”

Amber chuckled weakly at the offer. It was such a giant turn of events. One minute they were holding her captive and now they wanted her on their side. “You want me to join you guys? As in, be a part of the group?” The other members shared glances amongst themselves before nodding to the tomboy together. It didn't take much for them to realize how Amber would be a great source for relationship advice and dating tips. After all, she's been in a relationship longer than any of them combined. “Am I going to be treated like that every meeting?” The spy gestured to the front door with a very unsure expression painted on her face. The last thing she wanted was to be dragged around the place like that all the time.

The other members chuckled at the tomboy's questions. “Aniyo Amber.” Yuri called out. “I know that we treated you a little...roughly, but we just wanted to make sure that you wouldn't tell anyone our secret. But if you're gonna be part of the group then there's no need to hunt you down.” The kkab of the group bumped shoulders with the youngest one in the room.

Nodding to the explanation, the short haired girl smirked and looked at all of the members in thought. Should she join this group that she accidentally stumbled upon? Would she even be able to keep this a secret from Krystal? Her lips pursed at the decision she mentally made, looking over to Taeyeon as a final verdict. “I don't mind being a side member, unnie.” Amber smirked. “I'll gladly help everyone out if you need me, but since I obviously can't be there for every meeting, I think I'll just stick to being called a 'spy'.” The other members chuckled and rolled their eyes at the request. “I mean, I'm obviously a great eavesdropper and I'll be very secretive about my duties as a member.” The dorky tomboy gave a silly salute to her unnies. “Besides, being called a spy sounds cooler than 'Private Ber' or something like that.”

Everyone laughed at the girl's suggested title, mainly because the other names would most likely be the new recruit's member name had she of not requested to being called a 'spy'. In the end it seemed like a fine decision. “Arasso Amber. You can be our spy.” Yoona spoke out with a smile. “You just better make sure that you won't tell anyone about our secret. Well, aside from Yuri because apparently she's already official and open with Jessica.”

“Yah!” Lieutenant Yul snapped at her younger counterpart, only to laugh in the end. “That's true, but it's not like we're announcing our relationship to the world. I bet the others don't even know we're dating unless Sica told them. Why don't we just rephrase it to, don't spill their secret.” The older 'twin' gestured to the other two with a quick tilt of her head to the other members. Both the general and captain lowered their head embarrassingly. “Oh! And if anyone asks about our club, then you have to deny everything. No one is supposed to know about us.” The others in the group nodded their heads to the added rule. “Do you understand me missy?” Yuri pointed at Amber with a threatening finger. Smiling triumphantly when the new girl nodded like a bobble head.

Taeyeon chuckled at the sudden threat. This kkab sure was something. However, she did realize that they had forgotten to cover one important aspect. “Also,” The leader called out to get the attention of the girl in the tuxedo. “The only way we initiate people into the club is if they willingly tell us about their crush on another girl. Then after your little heart to heart conversation with whoever it is, you tell the other members about it and if they agree to adding a new member then we invite that person to our next meeting. But, since you're still a rookie you have to confirm everything with the rest of us.” The other two girls nodded their heads to the rule. It was something they all followed. No exceptions. With a mental recap of the rules and regulations of the club, Taeyeon nodded to herself in confirmation. “I guess we covered everything with being a member here in So Nyuh Secret...err...Seobang's Secret. So it's my honor to welcome you to the club, spy.” General Taeng proudly announced with a smile. In an instant the 'twins' completely glomped the youngest girl there. Even the leader joined in on the fun, laying her petite body over the three younger members, ruffling Amber's hair to a mess.

Once everyone settled down, Amber fist pumped the air once in victory, crying out, “Yes! I get to be a spy!” A cheeky smile that stretched from ear to ear was easily plastered on her face. The new recruit ended her celebration with a dorky dance while sitting down. It consisted with a lot of shoulder bouncing and rhythmic snapping.

Hearing the victory cry, Yuri grabbed the tomboy's shoulders and held her still. “Yah. Not too loud remember?” She lifted an eyebrow that questioned if Amber was even paying attention at all to the whole 'secrecy' part of their conversation. To make sure the spy understood, Yuri grabbed Amber's face and looked at her right in the eyes. “You can't even tell Krystal about this.”

The new recruit nodded to the latter quietly suddenly realizing the mistake she had made. “Right. Mianhae unnie.” Amber apologized while prying her head out from between the other girl's hands. Her lips pursed apologetically for her little slip up before curving upwards in an attempt to get the others to forgive her. She just couldn't help it. It was too exciting to now be called a 'spy' even if no one outside of the group knew about the title.

Suddenly a thought popped into the Captain's head. “Speaking of Krystal, how did you ask her out?” Yoona questioned curiously. Maybe she could follow their dongsaeng's method. Yuri's up front method seemed a little too intimidating right off the bat to use as a guide for asking her crush out.

The tomboy scratched the back of her head in thought. “Uhm. To be honest unnie, things were really similar to Yuri-unnie's way. I asked Krystal out just like that.” Everyone in the secret group widened their eyes in awe. Who knew that the right way was actually being very forward? “Krystal was really down in the dumps over the holidays. She told me about how her parents never spent their days with her and Jessica-unnie anymore. I tried everything to cheer her up. I bought her stuff, took her to her favorite restaurant, I did what I could.” Yuri's eyebrows rose in interest at the maknae's method. It really was similar to what she did with her own princess. “Then during dinner, I confessed to her that I liked her. I said that even if her parents can't make her happy then I hope I can.” Amber chuckled gently. All of the memories from that day had instantly rushed into her head. It felt as if it were just yesterday now. “I also asked her out the same night I confessed. It turns out that the feelings were mutual for a long time and sure enough she said 'yes'.”

Both members that weren't in a relationship thought about this way of asking their dream girl out. Does it only work with the Jung sisters to be upfront about their feelings or was that how every girl was? It bothered both Taeyeon and Yoona more than it should have. How was it that the younger girls were able to get a girlfriend and not them? “Yoona-yah.” The captain managed to hear, turning her head towards the direction of her caller. Instantly they settled on her older counterpart. “You never told us about how it ended with you and Seohyun. I know you said that you two weren't official, but what happened?”

Everyone rewound the meeting to just minutes ago to remember how far Yoona's story had gotten before the big interruption occurred. Instantly everyone remembered. Amber quietly gasped at the sudden cliffhanger. “Did you two kiss? It sounded like you two were gonna kiss!” The newest member pursed her lips tightly, trying hard to stop herself from doing anymore outbursts before her unnies would scold her again for being too loud.

The other group members were hooked on the question as well. They too wanted to know what happened. Amber was especially intrigued since she never imagined the innocent Seohyun having any intimate moments with anyone. Seeing the curious looks on everyone's faces made Yoona blush embarrassingly. “Well...I had my hands around her waist and her arms were around my neck. We were staring right into each others eyes...” The younger 'twin' then paused and looked away with so much blush on her cheeks that it only left the others to guess that what happened next was cutely embarrassing between Yoona and Seohyun. “I leaned in and...” The captain continued. Coincidentally, the other members leaned in closer as well, wanting to hear everything. Yoona's eyes shifted, landing on the group's spy. She then realized how the meeting and what happened next were very similar to each other. With a deep breath, the captain eventually breathed out, “...we were interrupted.”

A disappointed groan came from all of the other girls in the room. How could something so cutesy and butterfly inducing end up without a happy ending? At least a peck on the lips would have done the story justice. Amber sighed heavily and frowned at the news. She didn't want it to end like that. Whatever the interruption was better have been important. The secret spy folded her arms and leaned back. “That ...” She finally spoke with a deep exhale. “What interrupted you two?” Amber tried her best to not seem as disappointed as she really was. The last thing the group needed to worry about now was another hardcore shipper.

Yoona huffed out a sigh at the question. Right away, the others knew that it had to have been something not so important. “The phone.” Captain Yoon hung her head at the thought of her blocked chance for a kiss with her crush. “It was her umma. She wanted to check up on Seohyun to make sure she wasn't lonely.” Yoona then rose her head to glance at the other members. “But I guess it's not completely bad. She used that phone call to ask if she could spend other Christmases with me. Even though she already said yes, she still wanted to let her parents know.” A small smile crept upon her face. “Of course her umma didn't mind it so even I was able to benefit from that phone call.”

Taeyeon nodded to the end of Yoona's news. Even though it didn't seem like much, the general knew that what the two of them had gone through was a giant leap forward in their 'relationship' with each other. Her eyes then settled on the frowning spy who was running her hand through her hair. Obviously the maknaes of the college group had a shipper too, even if she did just find out about them tonight. Then it hit her. “Amber-ah. What were doing before you started listening to our meeting?”

The tomboy's eyebrows rose the minute she was spoken to. “Uh. I was listening to the others talking about some really girly stuff. I left them to go to the bathroom and when I was done I found you guys.” Amber's eyebrows crashed together rather curiously when she spotted the now risen eyebrows of the group's leader. “Waeyo?”

It took a while for Taeyeon to respond as she processed the whole scenario in her head once over again. Then she realized that something wasn't right. “If all you did was go to the bathroom and still haven't been back, don't you think they'd notice that you've been missing?” Worry overcame the leader, thinking that maybe someone else could stumble over their meeting as well just to search for the curious tomboy. “I think it's time you go back to them.” Her gaze shifted to the other members. “I think it's time that we all go back. We've been gone for a long time now.” Taeyeon's lips pursed gently realizing how suspicious their absence from the party could be just for the 'search' of a jacket.

The other members nodded in agreement. Now that they finally thought about it, everything flew by really quickly with nothing but their gossip. It was time that they all returned. However, if they had to go back soon, that meant that they had to end their meeting soon too.“Taeyeon-unnie.” Yoona called out to the oldest unnie in the room. “We have to finish the meeting first. What's going to be our new mission?”

Mission? Curiosity once again surged through Amber's head. The tuxedo bearer couldn't help but think of all the spy movies she had watched with explosions in the background as the world was being saved. What could their little secretive group possibly do to save the world? Despite how impossible an Earth threatening problem would come up with this Seobang Secret group as the world's only hope, Amber did nothing more than wait in anticipation for the group leader to say something.

Taeyeon's lips pursed at the mention of a new mission as always. It bothered her that she didn't exactly complete her last objective, per se. Only half of it was complete, but getting the girl wasn't one to be checked off just yet. The kid leader looked to the other members, scratching her head and sighing at the same time. “Actually Yoona-yah. I don't think I have the right to make a new mission.” Taeyeon settled her eyes right on the older 'twin' of the group. “Yuri-ah, why don't you think of the new mission since you have more seniority with the whole dating thing? Just because I'm the leader doesn't mean anything. I'm not even in a relationship.”

Yuri's eyebrows rose at the thought of being able to make a new mission for the group to fulfill. However, she mentally cursed to herself at the first thought that came to mind. All the embarrassing things she would have loved to see the other members do would mean that she would have to do them too. That left her with nothing more than a blank slate of ideas. Being pressured to think right on the spot wasn't exactly her specialty either. Glancing at the others, Yuri spotted a very curious Amber staring at her, waiting for the mission command to come out of . “Well, if we're talking about seniority with dating, I think Amber deserves to make up the mission then. She's been in a relationship longer than all of us combined.”

The sudden turn of events made everyone's eyes widen. Why would they let the newest member of the group make up the next mission for all of them to do? However, having Amber take control did seem more logical since she had already gone through the process of being with a girlfriend. Not to mention that Yuri was right. She and Krystal have been in a relationship for almost a whole year. It was only practical for her to have dating seniority.

After thinking it over a few times, General Taeng nodded once in agreement. “Alright then. As much as I don't usually let the hoobaes call the shots, I guess it would be the best idea. Especially since you do have more experience than we do.” Taeyeon's attention went fully on the newest group member. Now it came down to the wire. “Amber, you're going to be making up the next mission for everyone to do, including you so be careful of what you say. In short, our 'missions' are tasks that we all have to try our very best to do until our next meeting. So our little spy, what's going to be our next mission?”

Amber jutted her lower lip in thought as she looked to the ceiling. What would be a good mission that her unnies and her could do until their next secret meeting? Well, it couldn't be something easy like hugging the one that they love. It had to be more than that. Still, it couldn't be too extreme like having ! That would be way too much! Especially for the unnies that weren't even in relationships! There had to be something in between. Something that they could all do whether or not they were in a relationship. Light bulb. A grin surfaced on her face as the perfect plan came to mind...

The tomboy entered the family room first, greeting the others with a smile as she joined Krystal's side at a one seater couch. Amber tried her best to act as if nothing was out of the ordinary from when she first left the gossip group. Not long after her did the three older girls finally return, too busy arguing with each other for losing a good looking jacket and not having enough cash to pay back the restaurant debt. “You took forever.” A very familiar voice intruded Amber's ears. The short haired girl turned to look at her girlfriend curiously. “I was going to send a search party for you. What were you doing?” Krystal interrogated. One thing that particularly stuck out to Amber was the fact that her girlfriend was saying all of this with a hushed voice, as if she didn't want the others to hear their conversation.

Suddenly realizing that she didn't answer her girlfriend's question made Amber try to think of a quick excuse. “I uh...I tried finding the other unnies.” She mumbled just as softly as Krystal had been talking the whole time. “I found them talking in one of the rooms and helped them look for that jacket they were looking for.” The short haired girl scratched the back of her neck rather nervously. She knew that Krystal was good at telling the differences between the truth and a wimpy lie. Amber just hoped that her girlfriend would believe this one.

Krystal stood from the sofa and patted the seat for her girlfriend to sit in. The gesture only made Amber gulp once nervously. This was something that Krystal didn't always do and when she did, it was to make sure that Amber wouldn't run. Still, the only girl in a tuxedo took the offer for the chair. Once the tomboy was seated, the maknae of the party took a seat on the latter's lap, wrapping her arms around Amber's neck. “That's funny baby because I heard your little scream when I went looking for you. I'm pretty sure dragging you into the room isn't how you search for a missing jacket.” Krystal smirked rather victoriously. Both of them knew that Amber couldn't exactly talk her way out of this one now. Nervously, the 'spy' gulped hard the minute their eyes locked. The younger Jung sister rested her head on Amber's shoulder, muttering softly, “Do you want to tell me what you guys were talking about?” Krystal grinned and leaned in. Her lips closed in on Amber's ear, gently grazing it when she whispered one last thing.

“Spy.”

A/N: Annyeong everybody! I'm back and I got another chapter up here for you awesome readers! I do want to let everyone know that the next chapter for this story is indeed going to be the very last chapter of the story. I'm already working on it too and I hope to get it uploaded around late December to mid-January. Still around the holiday season. I'm sorry it took me a long time to upload another chapter but hey, at least I didn't take another 3-4 month hiatus with this story!

Major factors for why I couldn't get this out earlier was because of school, work and the overall holidays. Finals week is already going to start at the end of this week and that means time to cram! I've recently done a few tests, an interview in another language, I've done a speech with another one on the way, and I've got to write 4 essays this week. Aigoo! Time to kiss my brain goodbye! Work has been absolutely CRAZY too ever since Thanksgiving and black "Friday" where I had completely crazy hours with all these crazy shoppers. I also have to do a lot of Christmas shopping. My mom would usually send me out to go shopping for her and the family so that no one knows what gifts we'll be giving. So crazy guys! My wallet is crying. T^T

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! I'll be working hard to get the last chapter out there! To anyone that wants to follow me on Twitter to keep up with my progress on stories, videos, or just my life then feel free to follow me at JustKpopJeo I post there pretty often about the most random things. Anyways, please leave a comment on what you think is going to happen in the next and final chapter! Until next time!

-Jeo