Elexis trots swiftly into the bakery which is their usual meeting place. The aroma of freshly baked goodness always floated through the air there, tempting customers with a plethora of sweet concoctions. Today, it's the hard-to-resist smell of chocolate chip cookies which lures in the passers-by. Apart from the beautiful smells that float around, the bakery is a cheerful place. The chairs are all plush and immensely comfortable, and more often than not, customers tend to doze off in them after eating to their heart's content. The place is well lit, and paintings of pastries hang at regular intervals. It's a tempting sight. The place is popular with students, who come in big groups to study, and some even to work part-time behind the counter. 

She dumps her messenger bag under a table and plops herself into a chair beside a girl with waist-length auburn hair and cerulean blue eyes. They pump fists. 

"Hey, Yunne," Elexis greets.

Yun Hee smiles, revealing a neat set of pearly-whites. "Hey yourself, Exis," she replies. Her unique blue eyes are bright today - she's excited about the unique project Elexis said she'd come up with. They're a gift from her British mother, who raised her in London before she left to find her biological father, who she recently learned lives in Korea. Impatient and excited to meet him after several long years of living with nary a picture of him, she left London for Seoul, and eventually found him remarried and living with a kind woman Yun Hee grew to love as a second mother. They live together, a small but happy family, in an apartment in Seoul. 

"Exis, what's the deal?" she asks, turning herself slightly in her seat to face the other girl.

Elexis' dark eyes crinkle as she smiles. "You'll see when the others get here," she replies, motioning towards the other empty seats at the table.

Yun Hee groans and leans back, impatient. "Can't you just tell me first?"

Elexis grins with malice and shakes her finger, enjoying her friend's frustration. 

"You're a , you know that?"

"I'm proud to be one, because I'm an awesome ."

Yun Hee laughs at her response. The bell above the bakery door tingles, and the door is open to reveal another young girl about the same age as the two already seated in their usual corner. She's reasonably tall, and is graced with a perfect figure. Her deep, piercing black eyes are half-closed as she breathes in the aromas wafting around while she makes her way over to her two good friends. Her silky black hair neatly frames her pretty face. Eun Bi is wearing a loose pair of jeans and a striped shirt - the usual style for her. 

"Yo, people," she calls out as she drops into a chair on Yun Hee's other side. She gets a general murmur of greeting in response. "Where are the others?" she asks.

"They should be on their way, but I'm not sure," Elexis says in reply. 

Yun Hee looks out the bakery window. "I think that's them right now, across the street," she says, pointing. 

The other two follow her finger and see a pair of girls laughing together and walking over. "Right," Eun Bi starts, standing up and dusting her jeans off. "I'm going to order the usual for us, okay? I'm ravenous."

"Yah, get some of that delicious-smelling chocolate chip cookies, will you?" Yun Hee adds, perking up.

Eun Bi nods and saunters off towards the counter, pointing out a few pastries to the guy behind it. Meanwhile, the two girls who Yun Hee had just seen, enter the bakery and make their way straight towards their usual table. In the lead is Hanyeon, who's the same age as the three already there. Behind her is much younger Hyeji, who's just sixteen. She and Eun Bi actually get along very well, because both are boyish - although Hyeji is that way because she lives with her five brothers. Nevertheless, her pretty features shine through regardless of her lack of makeup. Her brown hair and matching eyes are enhanced because of her fair skin. She seats herself beside Eun Bi's empty chair and waves at Elexis and Yun Hee.

"Is that chocolate chip cookies I smell in here?" she asks, her lips. "My favourite!"

"I know," Eun Bi remarks from behind her, placing a tray filled with pastry goodness on the table. "But save some for the rest of us, okay?"

The youngest there nods eagerly. "I'll be sure to leave crumbs, don't worry."

Hanyeon chuckles from her place beside her best friend. "Gosh, you guys would never guess how exciting my week has been."

Elexis gives her a wide grin. "I'm sure it has something to do with Isabella and her ridiculous proposition."

The other girl nods in reply, her eyes dancing. "I can't deny it was loads of fun, though."

"Oh, now I'm interested, go on!" Eun Bi adds in, munching on a piece of strawberry shortcake. 

"Yah," Yun Hee yells, trying to get attention as is her habit. "I want to know what Exis has in mind first."

Hearing her name, she laughs and turns to the others. "Yeah, I said I had a killer idea in store for us, didn't I?"

"I'm dying for a little excitement, I swear. My life has been too dry lately. So, are we going to haunt a fanmeet and prank more idols again?" Hyeji asks, a smile twitching her lips.

Yun Hee bursts out laughing. "I remember that! Oh, the look on Yoseob's face was priceless!"

"Not as priceless as Hyunseung's when he got drenched!" Hanyeon laughs. "Exis, that was pure awesome."

"Naw, it was your idea!"

"But that doesn't make it any less awesome. More so, if I do say so myself!"

"There they go again," Eun Bi shakes her head. "They're too similar for them not to be the best of friends!"

Elexis shoots her a mock-glare. "Awesome es are the best people on Earth."

"Agreed," Hanyeon mutters, twirling her hair around her little finger.

"Will you two stop working your ego and start with the new plan already? I'm bored," Yun Hee interrupts, tapping her fingers on the table as she munches on a stolen cookie. 

"Sure, gladly," Elexis says, a feral grin on her face. "But first, I want to talk about the rumour that Lee Joon has been taken captive by this insane fangirl."

Hanyeon keeps the smile frozen on her face, although her fingers tigthen their grip on a lock of her hair. How had Elexis come across this information?

"Oh my goodness, you can't be serious!" Hyeji exclaims, sitting up straighter in her seat. 

Elexis nods and smiles mysteriously as the group starts speculating on what could have happened to him. Hanyeon feels the insides of her palms begin to get sticky. 

"Wait," she says, halting the flow of the conversation. "Hasn't he been returned or something? The fan can't have been crazy enough to keep him, right?"

Her friend shrugs from her right. "Nobody knows, Hany. He's been missing for about twenty-four hours now, and I heard the members of MBLAQ are super worried about him. They sent their leader off to the bar they last saw him at, and things didn't go well there. The waitress who's rumoured to have been the kidnapper fled."

"How do you know all this?" Eun Bi asks, curious.

"Netizens."

A murmur of assent travels around. "They're actually the source of some of the most reliable information," Eun Bi replies to Elexis' short answer.

Hanyeon feels a chill race down her spine. Isabella promised her that she just wanted to talk to him for a while before she let him off. So why is he still missing? Unless he actually wanted to stay with Isabella... but as an idol, wouldn't he have a strong sense of duty? He wouldn't actually desert his company, band and fans, just to stay with his girlfriend, would he? She has no idea what the guy is like, but she knows that it's unlikely that he chose to absent himself. Something is up, but Hanyeon can't be sure what exactly it is.

"An Hanyeon-unnie!" Hyeji yells, insistently waving her hand in front of her friend's face, snapping the girl out of her daze. "So, are you up for it?"

Hanyeon looks around at the four grinning faces. If she asks what it is that she's supposed to agree to, they'll know that she wasn't paying attention and they'll pester her about what she got distracted by. So, unthinkingly, she replies, "Yes." But she has no idea what she's just agreed to do. Somehow, that doesn't bother as much as the question of what exactly Isabella has done with Joon.



"Are you feeling alright?" she asks, her sultry voice grinding to his ears. His headache hasn't faded yet, and sitting in a musty basement hasn't done anything to help him. He's not sure how he came to be in the company of the alluring yet freaky woman in front of him, but he suspects that it had something to do with that bar they'd gone to - he's not sure how long ago it was. Angry at his complete helplessness, and worried about his bandmates, he directs a glare at the strange woman.

She's pretty, he has to admit. With her deep black eyes that anyone can get lost in, and her ivory complexion, he's sure that she's been the object of many guy's attentions. But the way she carried herself - with a lithe confidence - and the spark in her eyes, convinced him that there's more to this vixen than meets the eye. And that's what he finds intimidating about her. That, and also the fact that his right wrist is manacled to the table leg, which is constructed out of heavy metal, and not something he can lift on his own. That manacle is staying on for a while, he realises with a grimace. And that leaves him completely defenseless against her. 

Right now, a frown mars her face, and wrinkles appear between her narrowed brows. "You didn't answer me - are you thirsty? Do you have a sore throat?"

Lee Joon is too disgusted to answer. He's the victim of a kidnapping, and she's likely his captor. What right does she have to ask about his well-being? Honestly, who would actually reply that they're perfectly fine when they're chained to a table leg in a basement in some strange place? His silence seems to infuriate the woman, and she grumpily dumps the tray on the table, causing the things on it to jump and rattle their contents noisily. As the noise dies down, Joon glances up to see her figure bearing down on him, a look of fury contorting her features. She doesn't look like the innocent mouse she did when she came in - now she looks more like a snake who's found her prey.

"Answer me," she demands, her eyes widening. "Answer me, now."

It's not the smartest thing for a captive to do - blatantly ignoring his captor - but Joon does it anyway. He hopes that by keeping quiet, she gets frustrated enough to leave, or let him leave, if he's lucky. Another flash lights her eyes, and she slaps him across his right cheek. A searing pain shoots up his face, and he's momentarily shocked as his face jerks to the left from the impact. He keeps his gaze averted from her eyes, not letting a single sound escape from his lips as he moves his jaw, trying to alleviate the burning pain. Joon can feel the painful outline of her fingers, and a few twinging lines tell him that her nails have raked his skin as well.

"I'm leaving this here," she says, recovering herself after her display of anger. She looks shaken, he notes, as he lifts his gaze to level her with another glare. The woman grips her upper arm, her fingernails cutting into the skin. Her knuckles are white. "When I get back, I hope you feel better. I'll bring blankets, in case it gets cold down here. And -" she cuts herself off from her rambling, and flees out of the room. 

He hears a choked sob and is tempted to feel sorry for her, but then he remembers his predicament. The red hand-mark that is slowly becoming visible on his face makes it hard for him to forget his position. Sighing, Joon sinks back into his thoughts, trying, once again, to figure out the reason for his imprisonment. 



"You're wearing my carpet thin," Miyu remarks from her seat on the couch. Her head is spinning from watching her friend pace in front of her.

Sofia turns and shoots her a glare. "You don't have a carpet, silly."

"It's supposed to be a joke. Now stop with the pacing already, I'm dizzy enough as it is!"

"I've just run away from a raging idol, my boss, and my job. All because of some random stranger I made the mistake to trust. I think I have a right to be frustrated right now," she snarkily replies. 

The younger girl rolls her eyes, but her mind is reeling too. She knows how much the job meant to her best friend. And to know that she could possibly be the victim of a con makes her feel a flare of anger - rare, but it often sprouts when her friends are wronged. Miyu is one with a stubborn sense of loyalty. When Sofia had shown up on her doorstep the night before, fuming and tearing at the same time, Miyu took her in and stayed up half the night with her, trying to figure out what had happened at the bar the night of Jin's party. Something had been nagging at her brain ever since, but she couldn't pick out exactly what it was. She'd just ignored it to tend to her friend, trying to calm her down. It worked, and Sofia was able to fall into a restless sleep on Miyu's bed, while Miyu stayed up weighing options in her mind. 

Just then, a knock sounds on the door. Miyu jumps, lurched out of her thoughts. She's not expecting anyone to drop by at this time. Nevertheless, she motions for Sofia to hide out in her room while she makes her way over to the peephole. A handsome face stares back at her, his bright hair hidden under a beanie. He's looking impatiently at his watch, and then he raises his hand to knock again, before the sound of Miyu unlocking the door stops him. A foot taps as he wait for the door to open. As she unlocks the door to let him in, she grins and motions for her friend to emerge from her hiding place.

When she opens the foor, he steps through and smiles warmly at her. "Hi, Miyu. Where is she?"

"I'm right here," Sofia says, running out of the room to throw her arms around him. He chuckles deeply and wraps his arms around her narrow waist, a wide smile on his face. "How did you know where I am?" she asks curiously as she pulls away from him, leading him by the arm to the couch.

He raises an eyebrow in return. "I'm your boyfriend, and I know how close you two are," he states, motioning towards Miyu and Sofia. "Where else would you go?"

His girlfriend's expression darkens. "They won't have the same mindset, would they? If they do, Miyu's doomed."

Miyu shakes her head vigorously. "Jiyong only knows about us because he's close to you. You wouldn't have told anyone at the bar about me, would you?"

"Good point," she mutters, visibly relaxing.

Jiyong grins from his spot next to her. "Did you like my distraction yesterday night?" he asks Sofia, running his hand through her short caramel hair.

"Distraction?" she repeats, looking up at him with wide eyes. "With Euanne - that was you?"

He nods proudly with response, but his pride is dealt a huge blow as Sofia whacks him neatly on his chest. "Ow! What was that for?"

"You were at the bar but you didn't tell me?!"

"A thank you for saving your life would be nice!"

"Thank you! Now why in the world were you getting so close with Euanne? She's nice and all, but you're my boyfriend!" Sofia protests, pouting. 

Jiyong leans back and chuckles again. "So you're just jealous?" he enquires, pushing the corners of up into a smile.

Miyu shakes her head at their childishness. If she ever gets a boyfriend (which she highly doubts), she would never be so cheesy. 

"You're my boyfriend. Of course I'm jealous, silly. You're not allowed to touch anyone but me," Sofia insists. 

"Not even to save your life?" Jiyong teases, a glint in his eyes. Sofia grumbles in return. "Besides, I wasn't really that close to her, I just had my arm around her. Honest, I swear!"

Miyu laughs. "Actually, Sofia, if you're that bothered about it, I'm sure I can get someone to help you get into the... security... system..." she trails off as her eyes cloud over. Jiyong and his girlfriend exchange looks. "I'm such an idiot," Miyu suddenly shouts, whacking her forehead and standing up abruptly, dashing for her phone and dialling someone.

"Wait, what is this sudden revelation which nobody but you knows about?" Sofia asks from her seat next to Jiyong.

"One minute," Miyu mumbles, waving her hand impatiently at her friend and biting her lip as she waits for the person to pick up the phone.

'Hello?' the sleepy voice on the other line murmurs, and Miyu hears what she's sure is a yawn.

"Yah, you're getting more and more like a panda each day. Next thing I know, you'll be shipped to the zoo!"

'Yah! I'm not a panda! Not yet, anyway! But wait, what's wrong with being a panda? Pandas are awesome. Wait, we've sidetracked, haven't we? What've you called me for?'

"Kyong Eun-ah, you have skill with computers, right?"

'Miyu, the only skill I have with computers is the ability to sit in front of one all day and not get bored. Why?'

Miyu bites her lip on hearing her friend's reply. "Hmm... Are you busy now?"

'Actually, yes I am. I'm late for class, so I guess I am busy.'

"I bet you haven't moved an inch since you said that. If you're late, you should get moving."

'Oh my goodness, Miyu, that completely slipped my mind! Oops! But thanks so much for reminding me! I'll start running now. See you!'

Miyu shakes her head at her absent-minded friend. "Sure, and I'll call you to catch up some other time, okay?"

'Sure! Bye!' and the line went dead.

"Mind telling us what that was about?" Jiyong asks, his deep voice breaking into Miyu's thoughts.

She bites her lip. "I will tell you, but I just need to make another call. I really didn't want to trouble her, but I guess I have to, now." Lifting the phone up to her ear again, she frowns slightly as she waits for the person on the other end to pick up.

'Miyu!' a voice trills on the other end. 'Thank goodness you called now, I was just getting so bored.'

Miyu lets out a sigh of relief. "Yah, you're supposed to be in class now, right?"

'Nope. School let out early today, so I'm free and bored.'

"That's perfect. Can you drop by my place?"

'What for?'

"Well, I'll explain everything when you get here, but you might want to bring your laptop too."

'Ooh, that sounds promising! I'll be over in fifteen minutes!'

"Sure, see you here then!" Miyu smiles as she bids goodbye and hangs up the call.

Sofia tugs her back down onto the couch on her other side. "Now, tell me what this is about and who you called."

Her friend grins at the couple. "I called Arinini - Arie unnie," she clarifies. "I just remembered what's been pestering me for a while."

"And that is..." Sofia prompts, her curiosity aroused.

Miyu smiles lopsidedly, a smile she only has when she's up to something. "Security cameras. We can check them for footage of what happened yesterday."

Sofia gasps, aghast that the possibility slipped her mind. Before she can say anything, however, Jiyong cuts in, "But the kidnapper wouldn't have been so stupid as to let the footage run, and if her boss had checked the footage, he would have known that it isn't Sofia who did it."

"Miyu, thanks a lot. You just buoyed my hopes, only for it to turn out that -"

"Stop. I thought of what Jiyong said," Miyu states, shocking the older two. "That's why I'm getting help."

"How can Arie help?" Sofia asks.

"Who is Arie?" Jiyong inquires. 

"A friend of mine," Miyu answers. "She's good with computers, and if my theory is right, she can help us recover the footage."



Arie's fingers fly over the keyboard as she sets up the program for her attempt. "Miyu, I still don't know how I can get footage from a camera that was turned off during the incident."

Miyu grins. "Well, that's my theory, you see. You're the one who told me that it's complicated to turn off security cameras when you're hacking, right?"

Her eyes light up. "Oh!"

Sofia and Jiyong look clueless. "Mind letting us in on the secret?"

Miyu nods to Arie, who gets straight to work on hacking into the system. Sofia nearly gets entranced by the speed at which her fingers move over the keys, and how she seems to type quicker than she thinks. But she notices that what appears on the screen are random jumbles of letters and words, which makes her wonder how on Earth the girl managed to remember all the codes. It makes her head spin.

"Actually, I think that there's a possibility that the cameras weren't switched off during the kidnapping. So -"

"How does that work out?" Jiyong, ever impatient, asks.

"Wait a minute, I'm getting there!" Miyu insists. "If we're lucky, the person who interfered with the security footage didn't turn the cameras off completely, but rather rerouted the footage to another computer. And Arie's a great hacker, so I'm sure that she can hack into the security system unnoticed and trace the footage to it's source. Then we can get the address of the computer, whatever it's called technically, and then trace it to an adress."

"Actually, tracing it to an address might not be fully possible. The information is heavily coded," Arie interrupts.

"You're done already?" Sofia exclaims, shocked. 

Arie nods. "I can dredge up the footage though. Miyu was right."

The girl allows herself a smile. "So now all Arinini has to do is check the storage in that computer for the footage."

"Which I have done. I'm downloading the large files into my computer hard disk right now," the computer genius says, leaning back and flexing her fingers. 

"Wait, so who did you call earlier?" Jiyong asks Miyu.

"Oh, she's another friend of mine," she answers. "Her name is Kyong Eun, and she's a great friend. I thought that she might have prowess with a computer - enough to hack like Arie - but it turns out she doesn't. Arinini, you should teach her some time," she pauses as Arie nods lazily. "Anyway, I called her first, because I thought Arinini was having classes. But it turns out she didn't. Either way, it works out so who cares, right?"

Jiyong tries to forget what she said before he gets even more confused. This is too much complicated information. "Yeah, who cares," he mutters under his breath.

"Oh great!" Arie shouts, leaning forward again. "Here's the video. Let's drag it to the time when Sofia should start work."

"That's her," Sofia confirms, as a figure enters the view. "That's Hanyeon."

A/n: all that gibberish Miyu is spouting with the computers? I have no idea whether it's true or anything - I just made it up. Don't kill me. And here is a fresh batch of applicants! *groans* I'm not even half done with introducing them, though. How terrible, right? And FYI, this chapter is 4000+ words. ^^ hahaha it might be a regular occurrence, not too sure yet! I just have soooo much to write. And this chapter and the previous one is supposed to be one chapter - glad I split it XD

New Characters:
cherryxpop - Yun Hee Davies-Hwang
JongKey1221 - Lee Eunbi
NeruChan98 - Seo Hyeji
IAmAClumsyPanda - Kang Kyong Eun