Seocho District, 9:14 am

Jessica and Tiffany exited the Shi Dae building. The air was cold and a bit dry but they were dressed warmly so it wasn’t a problem.

“So what did you have planned?” Jessica asked.

“Well, it’s only been a few days since you got back from America. Have you been to the SAC before?”

“SAC?”

“It’s the Seoul Arts Center. It’s very famous here in the Seocho District.” Tiffany explained.

“Oh, I don’t really remember if I have.”

“Let’s go then.” With that, Tiffany took Jessica’s hand in hers and held it as they walked. When they passed a familiar café, Tiffany stopped.

“Wait, have you eaten yet?” Tiffany suddenly asked. Jessica remembered that she spent those two hours this morning to prepare. Although it seemed like a lot of time, for some reason, she wanted to look nice today and she totally forgot to eat breakfast.

“Um…” She didn’t know how to say it. If she answered, Tiffany will ask why. Thankfully, Tiffany was concerned that she didn’t eat yet.

“Let’s get you something to eat first. I don’t want you to be hungry while we’re in a concert.” Tiffany said with a worried tone.

“Is that okay?” Jessica asked. It was a bit embarrassing to get side-tracked like this. She was worried that Tiffany probably had things planned in the SAC already but Tiffany’s warm and bright smile managed to reassure her a bit.

“Of course. To be honest, I was a bit confused as to what to wear. It’s been years since I last went on a date. I took time getting ready too so I haven’t eaten.” Tiffany said as they walked in the café. Jessica was a bit relieved to find out that Tiffany was excited about their date. However, when she heard the fact that it’s been years since Tiffany’s last date, it got her thinking. ‘Of course she had dated before. Why are you getting upset?’ She thought to herself.

“Welcome to the SaJinSul Café.” Yoona welcomed with a smile. Upon recognizing who the customers were, Yoona showed an even brighter smile. “Oh! Jessica unnie, Tiffany unnie! Sunny unnie, look who’s here.”

“Jessica! Tiffany! Good morning.” Sunny said from behind the counter with a wave.

“Good morning, Sunny.” The two greeted together. Sunny smiled at them.

“What can I get you two?”

“Just the breakfast special. Jessica and I haven’t eaten yet. We’re going to the SAC after this.” Tiffany explained.

“Oh! I have some of my photographs on display there. Tell me what you think if you see them.” Sunny said as she went to the back. “Why don’t you two take a sit while I prepare your orders?” Jessica and Tiffany nodded before proceeding to a nearby unoccupied table.

The two of them sat in silence. After a few seconds, Yoona went up to their table.

“Do you guys want some coffee?”

“Ah! Caramel Coffee, for me, Yoona.” Tiffany said with a bright smile while she looked at Jessica, who seemed to think it over.

“Do you want to try it?” She asked Jessica. Jessica looked up at her before nodding.

“I’ll have whatever she is having.” Yoona nodded.

“I’ll be back shortly with your coffee.” Yoona walked away. As the clock continues to tick, Tiffany gazed happily at Jessica. However, Jessica didn’t notice since she was still thinking about Tiffany’s past relationships.

‘Why did her relationships end?’ Jessica thought to herself. ‘Will she get mad if I ask her? No. In the first date, you don’t ever speak of your past relationships. But if I was the one who asked, that isn’t necessarily breaking the code since I asked. And I can’t really tell her about mine since I don’t remember. Okay. Here we go.’

“Tiff- Why are you- How long have you been staring at me?”

“Since we sat down, all the time while Yoona asked as what to drink, and right now when you asked me.” Tiffany answered truthfully.

“It’s rude to stare though.” Jessica said, not meaning to sound upset but it’s hard to think when the person you like is staring at you. ‘Wait! Like?!’

“I read it from a story before that some things are worth staring at.” Tiffany said with her unfaltering smile and gaze, causing Jessica to blush.

“Aish. Anyway, putting that aside. Can I- you know what? Look over to Sunny.” Jessica said suddenly. This knocked the smile out of Tiffany’s face, replaced by a confused expression.

“Why?”

“Because it’s hard to talk when you stare at me like that. Look over there.” Jessica explained and repeated. Tiffany blinked twice before smiling. Instead of looking over to Sunny though, she just closed her eyes, still facing Jessica’s generation.

“Is this fine?” She asked. ‘Well, I guess that’s okay.’ Jessica thought.

“Okay. Don’t open your eyes.” Jessica said.

“Why? Will you give me a kiss?” Tiffany asked with a suggestive tone.

“You! Aish! Why don’t I just leave?” Jessica said, really frustrated. Tiffany suddenly opened her eyes, looking at her pleadingly.

“Don’t! I’m sorry~ I won’t say anything anymore until you tell me. Please stay~!” Tiffany said, holding Jessica’s hand. ‘Although I don’t really plan to leave, she looks so… cute.’ Jessica thought to herself.

“Alright. I’ll stay but promise me you won’t open your eyes until I tell you. And no, I won’t do anything like that.” Jessica finalized. Hearing that she was going to stay, Tiffany smiled and resumed her former position. ‘Finally. Okay… What was I going got ask? Ah! I forgot.’ Jessica frowned.

“Here’s your coffee, two caramel coffees. Please enjoy, Unnies~” Yoona said with a bit of aegyo. Tiffany covered her ears.

“Yoona, don’t do that~ I don’t like it when you show your aegyo. It’s like Sunny’s.” Tiffany said.

“Ya, I heard that!” Sunny shouted from behind the counter. Tiffany and Yoona shared a laugh. Once Yoona moved back to Sunny, Jessica seized the opportunity to talk before they get disturbed again.

“Can I ask what happened to your last date?” Jessica asked nervously.

“Ah. You’re curious about that?”

“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me. It’s just, I was thinking about it.”

“I’ll tell. Hm… It wasn’t really an actual date. We went grocery shopping so maybe it was only me that thought it was a date.”

“Ah…” Jessica wanted to know what happened but she didn’t want to pry. Tiffany somewhat realized this so she continued on.

“It was really fun. I was reluctant to ride a bike but we did anyway. The helmets we wore had headphones in them so when I spoke, it was really loud.” She laughed lightly, remembering. “When we arrived, we bought some food. I got scolded because I went to get some strawberries that were far from where we were both standing. It’s been… hm, five years.”

“Five years? That’s a long time.”

“Well, you know. I got busy training the Deohyeos. Many of them have graduated but there are still more in the facility.” Tiffany explained, her smile still on her face. Jessica nodded in understanding.

“Sorry to interrupt. Okay, here’s your breakfast special. Enjoy~” Sunny said before taking her position back in the counter.

“Can I open my eyes now?”

“You don’t have to ask me that!”

“Well, let’s eat.” Tiffany said as she opened her eyes, looking straight at Jessica. Jessica avoided her stare by eating her meal.

Three young men were jumping about on top of the buildings with stealth. They didn’t say anything as they looked around.

Ring!

“Yeoboseyo?” One of them answered.

“I knew it! You guys are headed to Seoul. Come back this instance. You know that rules! If we leave the faculty, Ms. Hwang will-” The call was ended right away.

“Who was that?” One of them asked.

“It was just Kai, reminding us about protocol.” They didn’t say anything afterwards. After a while, their senses picked up a scent. They stopped on top of a high building. There was another phone call.

Ring!

“Yeoboseyo?” They answered again.

“Do you smell that?” The voice was distorted that it was impossible to identify but the words were clear. A bit more cautious now, the three of them looked around. They had an unsettling feeling in their stomach and something told them that they should just go back to the facility.  But the voice was right. There was something sweet in the air.

“Follow them.”  With that, the call ended. Their eyes focused on each other. They jumped down from the top to the side of the building, landing in the alley, producing   a thud.

They stayed there until the doors of a nearby café opened and two individuals walked out.

“Let’s go.” One of them said as they exited the alley.

Half an hour later…

Yuri was still in the changing room. Something was wrong. She opened her eyes and her pupils were dilated, her irises, lavender. She had her right hand on the locker doors, her left, on her head.

“What’s going on with me?” She asked herself loudly. Her breathing was ragged once again. She heard footsteps, then, the door opened.

“Yul, are you okay?” Yuri looked up to see who it was. The voice was kind of distant and her vision was blurry. She tried fixing her vision, closing her eyes and opening them again.

“Yuri, I’ll take you home. I’ll ask Sooyoung unnie to see you.”

“Yoong?” That was the last thing she said before closing her eyes, letting herself be taken by Yoona.

Yoona had Yuri on her back as she went to the back door.

“Sunny unnie, we’ll go first. Something is wrong with Yuri.” Yoona said.

“Go, quickly. Call me, okay?” With that, Yoona nodded before jumping away. Judging from the distance and direction Yoona headed, they should have landed in front of the organization already. Still worried but a bit calmer, Sunny went in the café. Seeing as no one was there today, she decided to close for the day.

Ring!

“Yeoboseyo?”

“Tae, what’s going on?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Yoona should have arrived there by now. Call Sooyoung immediately!”

“Okay. Can you come here then?”

“Sure. I’ll be over in a second.”

“Love you.”

“I love you too.” Sunny said before ending the call. She walked out of the café and locked the door.

A few minutes later…

She ran towards the organization building, entering and boarding an elevator right away. She was greeted by Taeyeon.

“Tae, what’s going on?”

“Yuri is in the infirmary right now. I’m afraid that something is going on. Why does it have to be today of all days? We just had an alert yesterday. I only called security this morning. I even asked one of the departments to send in any CCTV videos if there are any suspicious individuals in the area. So far, there are none.”

“Did your beeper sound off?”

“No. This is weird since usually, there should be an alarm if any unregistered Deohyeos crossed the facility.”

“You think there are more coming?”

“Yes. If I’m wrong, that’s good. I’d rather be proven wrong. I have to go to the facility right now.”

“Should I come with you?”

“No. I’ll go by myself. I can handle it. Stay here and see if things need any attention, especially Yuri and Yoona. You know Yuri more than I do. Any strange changes in her behavior, Sooyoung must be informed by it. The two of you, make sure everything is okay.”

“What if the alarms sound?”

“You’re already familiar with the protocol. Call Hyoyeon and Tiffany to come. Yoona can’t do anything right now and neither can Yuri. I’ll be there once I’m done in the facility.”

“Okay. Stay safe.” Sunny said, holding Taeyeon’s hand tightly before letting go. Taeyeon kissed her hand before she boarded the elevator. Sunny went to the infirmary.

Sooyoung was looking at the charts. Yuri was now in a stable condition and Yoona was waiting for her to wake up, sitting beside her bed. She flipped and flipped through the pages and continued looking at the charts.

“Sooyoung unnie, what happened to Yuri?” Before Sooyoung could answer, Sunny knocked and came in the room.

“What happened Soo?” Sunny asked.

“Well, I have some questions to ask first. Yoona, did Yuri drink from you a couple of days ago?”

“Not really.”

“Did you?”

“Just a little.”

“Then that’s probably it. Syncope, or fainting, is usually caused by a number of things, one of them being dehydration. When was the last time she drank from you?”

“… she hasn’t.” Yoona said as she looked at the unconscious Yuri.

“Don’t worry. She just hadn’t had any blood for a while. Yuri doesn’t take any of the blood pills right?”

“No. Not even the injections. She insisted that she doesn’t have to take those synthetic drugs.”

“When she wakes up, I recommend that you let her drink your blood. It’s for her health anyway.”

“So there’s nothing wrong right?” Sunny asked, trying to sum it all up. When Sooyoung nodded, she let out a sigh of relief.

“…ugh…” The three of them turned to Yuri.

“Yuri! How are you feeling?”

“A bit dizzy. What happened?” Yuri said, closing her eyes.

“What is the last you remember?”

“…wasn’t I just in the file room?” The three of them looked at Yuri in surprise as Yuri murmured her answer before falling asleep again.

“She doesn’t remember going to the café?” Sunny asked. Sooyoung looked at Yuri once more before turning to her files.

“There wasn’t anything in her system. Did she also lose consciousness earlier? There are chances of having no recollection of things that happen during syncope but with Yuri’s case, I’m not sure.”

“What should I do now, unnie?” Yoona asked.

“The next time she wakes up and stays awake, take her home and make sure she drinks your blood. You can give her a large dose right?”

“I can control that?”

“Yes. Since you usually drink from Yuri, she has been able to control how much blood she gives you. You can control it too. I’m not asking for a lot. However, if she doesn’t get better with just a small dose, I’m afraid you have to do more.” Yoona nodded, somehow understanding Sooyoung’s word. Sooyoung turned to Sunny.

“Where’s Taeyeon?”

“She said she was going back to the facility. Apparently, she called security and the CCTV department to make sure the Seocho and the Gangseo district are secure but they haven’t sent any videos yet nor were there any alarms.”

“Hm. Okay. I’ll go check around the building. You can stay here with Yoona and Yuri.”

“Sure.” With that, Sooyoung left the infirmary, leaving Sunny with Yoona and an unconscious Yuri.

Taeyeon was driving towards the facility in Gangseo. When she arrived, she got out of her car and looked around. There was a Deohyeo behind the gate and she recognized him.

“Kai. What’s going on?”

“Ms. Kim! What are you doing here?”

“I was just going to check things out here. I asked the Shi Dae Security Department to install cameras around the area and heighten security. What are you doing out here?”

“It’s just- I am very sorry.”

“What did you do?” Taeyeon asked, now worried.

“Three students went out of the facility an hour ago. I called them and I found out that they are in Seoul. I tried to sto-”

“You mean they are in Seoul already?” Taeyeon asked her voice high.

“I’m really sorry that I didn’t call Daniel hyung. But I thought they would come back right away. I’m really sorry.”

“Forget about that. We’ll talk later. I’ll pick you up and assign Daniel back here. You’re coming with me to the organization for questioning. For now, lock all the exits and entrances. If you guys are not careful, you guys could get in trouble too.”

“I understand, Ms. Kim. But please, don’t kill those three. They were trying really hard to graduate. For some reason, they just decided to leave-”

“I told you that I’ll pick you up later. Tell me all of that when you’re in the organization. I’ll be back as soon as things are taken care of.” With that, she entered her car and drove off. Kai watched as she drove off.

“Please save them from Ms. Hwang.”

Tiffany and Jessica were walking around the SAC.

“Hey, Tiffany. Where are we going now?” Jessica asked. Tiffany looked at her for a moment before smiling.

“Let’s go to the restroom for a bit.” Tiffany said, taking hold of Jessica’s hand and heading to the restroom. When Tiffany didn’t enter a stall, Jessica became confused.

“What’s wrong?”

“Someone has been following us ever since we exited the café this morning.”

“You mean like a stalker?!” Jessica exclaimed.

“Shh. I’ll call Taeyeon.”

Ring!

“Yeoboseyo?”

“Taeyeon, why didn’t my beeper go off? There are three Deohyeos in the SAC right now.”

“Mine didn’t go off either. There’s something wrong with the system.”

“I can’t guarantee the safety of all the humans in here. If those three make a scene, it will endanger the humans.”

“Try and leave the SAC without raising any suspicion. I think there is no one around the Gangseo facility. Can you lead them there?”

“I’ll try to.”

“Okay. I’m at the Gangseo facility. Sunny will come with the team. Yuri and Yoona are not available. Something happened.”

“Tell me about it later.” Tiffany ended the call and faced Jessica. She could tell that Jessica was upset.

“I’m sorry I have to cut our date today, Jessi.”

“It’s fine. It was fun though. I’ll make sure to tell Sunny about the photos she had here.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll get you home safely.” Tiffany said as the two of them exited the restrooms. When they started walking again, Tiffany sensed that the three were still following.

“Don’t look okay? Make sure they don’t know we’re aware of them.” Tiffany told Jessica. When they were at a distance from the SAC, Tiffany stopped walking.

“What’s wrong?”

“They stopped following us from behind. But they ar-.” Tiffany said.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The beeper from the different Shi Dae Organization members went off. Sunny stood up from her seat, turning it off. She pressed a couple of buttons to send a message to their pagers.

“Yoona, stay here with Yuri. Sooyoung should come back here to stay with you. The team and I will go.” With that, Sunny exited the room. Yoona looked at Yuri and held her hand tightly, then she brought it to her lips and kissed it.

In no time, Sunny sat in front of a van, Seohyun and Hyoyeon at the back.

“Sunny, is Tiffany with Jessica right now?”

“I saw them together before. She should have gotten the message now.”

“It’s terribly late.” Tiffany murmured to herself as she reached in her pocket to turn the beeper off. She made sure Jessica was behind her. As she stared at the three Deohyeos, she felt Jessica hold onto her.

“Don’t worry. Sunny and the others will be here soon.”

“Ms. Hwang.” Tiffany looked at the three who addressed her.

“Chanyeol, Lay, and Kris. Didn’t I make myself clear that you guys are restricted to leave the facility until you’ve graduated?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you guys out here? I reinforced the rule so no one could get hurt. But seeing as you disobeyed my one and only rule, I believe you know the punishment.”

“…” The three didn’t answer.

“I’ll give you one more chance. Go back now and I’ll overlook this.” Tiffany said. But when the three didn’t even move, she knew that she had to take a more desperate measure.

A breeze blew and it was only did Tiffany noticed that there were no people in the area.

“We made sure to put a police line a mile from this street and the next. No one should come here unless they want to.” One of them said. When the three of them bowed all together, Tiffany became alarmed. She took hold of Jessica and moved her to the corner.

“Tiffany! What are yo-?”

“Stay here.” With that, Tiffany ran back to meet the three.

All three moved at different paces, getting closer to Tiffany at different proximities.

Chanyeol produced a short blade from his pocket and threw it at Tiffany who caught it between her fingers. She threw it back which he was able to easily avoid. He produced another from under his shirt and tried to wound Tiffany. Before he could strike, Tiffany raised her leg and kicked him in the stomach. He landed on his feet on a wall while Lay attacked next.

Lay produced a long metal pole and tried to strike at Tiffany. Using her left forearm, she shielded the attack. She pushed it back and while Lay somersaulted away, Kris charged from under and landed a punch to Tiffany’s cheek.

Tiffany did a roundhouse kick so the two would back off. When the three were away, she touched her cheek.

“Landing a fist on your teacher is a major offense. Once again, go back and I’ll let it go.” Tiffany tried warning them again, trying to change their minds. However, they didn’t seem to care.

Lay threw his pole straight at Tiffany who she deflected with her own hands and kicked it back to him. It hit his chest with a loud echoing ping and he hit the wall.

She turned her attention to Kris who started a close combat with her. A punch to the right was deflected by her right forearm and a strike to her left was avoided by using her left hand a couple of time before she caught it. He tried to catch her off balance by sliding his leg on the ground, hitting Tiffany, making her fall on her back.

As he was about to place his foot down to make her immobilized, Tiffany raised her lower body, balancing herself on her hands. She managed to kick Kris to the chin, knocking him out.

On the corner of her eyes, she saw Lay stand up. He repeated his move, kicking the end of his pole, sending his pole towards Tiffany. She raised her left leg to hit the other end up. When it turned, she turned her body, raising her right leg, as her right foot hit the end lightly. The pole ended up hitting Lay on his forehead lightly enough to cause a bump, knocking him out as well. She sighed.

‘Wait! Where is-?!’ Tiffany looked up to see that Chanyeol had needles in between his fingers. When he threw them at her, she found a piece of wood next to her. She hit it with her right fist and it flew and caught the needles. When Chanyeol once again came to view, he threw two knives at her. One grazed her hand as she caught it while the other blade, she used the discarded piece of wood to deflect it.

“Ah!” Tiffany turned to Jessica’s direction and found her holding her shoulder. A sweet smelling scent invaded her senses. She realized that Chanyeol didn’t throw two but three knives, two of which were aimed at her, the other at Jessica. She found it on the floor next to Jessica, stained with her blood.

A/N: I know I’m mean but I can’t give you everything at once.

When I present a conflict, not all of the past conflicts could reach their resolution. Have you guys ever read “Romeo and Juliet” and seen its format? That book is divided into different Acts right? Every scene in an act presents a new conflict, not always but often. Therefore, read along the next update to see what happens. Maybe there are some smaller resolutions in the next chapter. Plus, it’s fun. It’s a good literary technique too. It usually keeps readers interested.

I am thanking the new subscribers once again and those who continue to stay and read this story. Please enjoy the story. If not, well, it was nice of you to drop by. You can come again if you want. Keke. ^^

First week of school was difficult for me. But it was still fun. Let’s see if I can get through this year with good grades. ^^ Any questions about me or the story, just ask. See you guys next week. ^-^v