After successfully defeating BoA, Operation TREE found themselves in another mission. They knew this wasn’t the last of their ordeals and they  had to go through one more group before finally being able to face Jonghyun and save Max and Yunho. In their pretty Cadillac which was being driven by CL, the girls started to talk about Max and Yunho, the real essence of their mission besides the serious destruction he had caused the targeted cities. 

 

“Max and Yunho. I wonder how they’re doing.” Sohee asked worriedly, taking some time off to read her comic books. Jessica pondered through her bag and found a whole collection of Marvel comic books.

 

“May I borrow this.” she showed her an Iron Man comic book. Sohee nodded and smiled. The two girls let their inner geeks (well, Jessica at least) out and busily read comic books while the three discussed Max and Yunho’s situation.

 

“I remember Onew telling us that for as long as we win the missions, they won’t kill Yunho and Max.” CL said.

 

“I can’t and don’t want to bank on that.” Gahee said with a worried expression on her face. The  monitor and Onew and Hyunah showed up. They asked the girls how their mission was.

 

“You girls were very good!” Onew applauded them. “You did extremely well at the mission!” The girls were very much flattered to hear that they had done well and had been doing well so far that they started to give each other high-fives and hugs. CL couldn’t do this as she was driving so the best she could do was smile simply at them. This redefined her leadership and made her feel good as the head of the team.

 

“You have one mission left before tackling Kim Jonghyun, though.” Hyunah said. Satisfied with the compliments that they had received from Onew, the girls were no longer fazed and were ready to face this with confidence and courage. 

 

“Bring em on!” Jessica howled. Gahee smiled at her feist. The other girls were glad that Jessica and Gahee were already starting to get along. It was essential in the success of their missions and in the way they operated as a team. Onew beamed at their enthusiasm and described their next mission.

 

“Next, you’ll be heading to Daegu.” Gahee smartened and straightened up upon hearing the name of her hometown. Daegu was also under attack? “In Daegu, there is a group of young boys who seems to be terrorizing the city and taking pleasure in doing so. They have put up their very own fight club and they have a challenge for all those who enter.” Onew said.

 

“Fight club?” Jessica asked. “What kind of fight club? Bare knuckle fighting?” The blonde beauty suddenly became interested in the conversation.

 

“Yes. Bareknuckle fighting.” Hyunah confirmed for her. “They have 7 members, meaning 7 rounds. Most people never make it past the 3rd round as the boys of Beast are really strong and their hard hits could kill a man!” The girls felt a bit fazed and their confidence level seemed to deteriorate and go lower. Jessica, however, remained confident in her fighting skills. She tilted her head up and asked Hyunah  more about the boys.

 

“Who are these boys again?” she asked, rubbing her hands together.

 

“Beast. That’s their name. And why shouldn’t it be? They are beasts when it comes to fighting. Did you know that dead bodies exit the ring by the dozen when a battle has just finished.” this information challenged Jessica even more and inspired her to give it her best shot. 

 

“Woah.” CL said. “I have no idea how we’re going to get past that. Are gadgets allowed?”

 

“Definitely gadgets aren’t allowed.” Onew warned them. “You girls have to rely on your physical skills. And worse, only one is allowed to fight. One at a time.” The girls, except the ever egotistic Jessica, felt tingles down their spine as this could be the first mission that they were going to fail.

 

“Girls, please take care. We can’t afford to lose you. For Max and Yunho. For Korea.” Hyunah said. She gave them a sad yet hopeful smile and signed off. CL and Gahee sighed in anticipated defeat as they drove to their destination guided by their GPS. During the entire drive, the girls were quiet, deeply thinking about a way on how to defeat Beast. The descriptions alone were enough to scare them into submission, especially Gahee and Nicole who had absolutely no experience in fighting. CL just worried about her team and if her girls would get hurt. Of course they’d get hurt! This was a bareknuckle fighting challenge they were talking about not some pillow fight! Hyunah said it herself, nobody had ever made it past the 3rd round. If those tough guys weren’t able to make it, what more 5 skinny, 17 year old college girls like them?

 

“Oh come on, girls! It can’t be that bad now!” Sohee spoke up, hoping her optimisim would rub off on the others but sadly, it didn’t do them any good.

 

“IT IS BAD!!” cried CL who was panicking without a strategy in her head. Sohee placed the comic book she was reading over her face, taken by surprise by CL’s outburst. “You heard what she said, Sohee. No one has ever made it past the 3rd level. Those were pro fighters. Big and burly guys. What about us? We’re limpy girls!” CL unleashed her inhibitions, shocking the others.

 

“What did you just say?” Jessica felt offended because she knew she was a fighter and to have someone call them, her included, “limpy girls” was simply below the belt.

 

“I know you’re a fighter and all Jessica, and I respect and acknowledge that you are but let’s face the facts. Guys ten times bigger than us weren’t able to get past them. What more us? We weigh less than 110 pounds and we were-”

 

“It is not in the weight or height, Chae Rin.” a pissed off Jessica called CL by her full name. “It’s in the will of the person to go through a fight. It’s in the heart. You may be big and burly bbut if you have a weak will and you think you cannot get past them, then you won’t no matter how hard you try. Don’t be intimidated and keep your heads up, girls!” General Jessica spoke. Jessica really sounded like a drill sargeant, serious and tough which was a far cry from her girly appearance.

 

“She has a point.” Gahee agreed with her ex-nemesis. “What if we think positively? What if, what if we actually believe that we can do it instead of negating the idea that it is achievable?” Jessica looked at her and nodded. 

 

“Amen!” Sohee said.

 

“I’m agreeing with them. We can do this!” CL’s spirits were still down but seeing her team happy was all she needed to get them up.

 

“Then I’m on your side, too.” CL said. “Come on girls, we got some boy butts to kick!” CL stepped on the gas pedal and away their Cadillac zoomed!

 

[DAEGU]

 

Daegu, another nitty gritty city, was infested with all sorts of bad things, much like the capital. It was there that Beast was holding their nightly “Toughest of the Tough, Hardest of the Hard” fighting challenge. They fought at a warehouse where a giant steel cage stood in the middle. Hundreds of spectators, predominantly male, were gathered around the steel structure of torture, their fingers intertwined between the squares of metal sharp and fine enough to cut a person’s skin. Screaming, cursing, sweating, bleeding. These were very uncommon in the fighting arena. 

 

Inside the steel cage stood six handsome, rugged, yet evil young men with the intention of making their enemies, those people who tried to stop them, hurt and bleed by challenging them to seven rounds of cruel, unforgiving, sadistic hand-to-hand combat. One challenge that no man had ever conquered.

“Alright who’s up next?!” a greasy and bloody Yoseob asked. The blood that stained his body was not his own blood rather the blood of his opponent, whom he had just killed in a brutal match-up. The opponent was on the floor, losing so much blood and on his last  breath. When he drew his last breath, the spectators roared in amusement and adrenaline rush. Even the boys felt the rush of adrenaline in their veins because of the excitement of the matchup! 

 

As the boys were rumbling and killing other men inside the cage, having their bodies taken out and eaten by the dogs, CL and her girls entered the fighting arena and saw these very unsightly scenes that prompted them the move a step backwards in disgust. 

 

“Only one representative, right?” Sohee asked. CL clung on to Sohee’s arm in fear. Nicole took pictures of the men, the cage, and the place itself.

 

“Might as well take pictures of the bodies, too. They could work as evidence.” Gahee said. Nicole did as told and snapped photos of the dead bodies, holding her breath to avoid the stench of the blood. 

 

“Yes.” Jessica answered with a blank expression on her face. “Only one representative to go through all seven of them.” CL and Sohee noticed that Jessica was walking closer and closer to the cage, as if being drawn to it by some magnetic force. The boys were too busy beating their opponent, who was already on the 3rd round by the way, to a bloody pulp when Jessica placed her hand on the steel door, watching through the wires. Doojoon noticed her and came closer. CL, Sohee, Nicole, and Gahee feared for the worst. 

 

“Why hello there, little miss!” Doojoon teased Jessica. Jessica just gave him the coldest stare she got. 

 

“Hello.” she said back.

 

“Are you intersted in some fighting? Oh wait! Better cover your eyes. You don’t want to see this!” Doojoon approached the man that they were beating up, grabbed him by the head and snapped it, breaking his neck and killing him. As if he wasn’t done, he took out his knife and slit the poor dead man’s throat. The other boys of Beast joined in the bastardization of the body. Unlike the expected reaction from a high-maintainance, posh girl, Jessica remained calm and collected, staring at the boys as they went about with their business.

 

“Is that all you cowards got?” asked the feisty pretty girl. Doojoon felt offended and bent down to talk to Jessica face to face. 

 

“Don’t try my patience, Barbie doll.” Doojoon said. Jessica flared up at the sound of ‘Barbie doll’ and through the wire, she stuck her two fingers in and poked Doojoon in the eyes. Jessica’s angry expression was definitely calling for a fight! Doojoon jerked, covering and rubbing his damaged eyes. He walked over to the steel door to let Jessica in.

 

“YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A FIGHT, HUH?!?!” Doojoon yelled. Jessica remained composed and walked towards the steel door. CL and Gahee clutched each other tightly, fearing that the slim Jessica would get crushed like a toothpick by the tough and burly Beast. 

 

“Well if I can topple you with just my two fingers, what makes you think I can’t knock you down with my entire body.” Jessica said with feist. Doojoon stepped back and the boys of Beast were angered as well as challenged with her words.

 

“No girl has ever fought against us. And I doubt a girl like you would win.” Yoseob belittled Jessica. 

 

“If men can’t make it past us, what makes you, a skinny blonde, think you can?!” Hyunseung sneered. The other boys of Beast just laughed at her, passing this off as an easy challenge. Not willing to let the boys just make her a laughing stock, Jessica climbed up the steel steps and entered the steel cage, still in her high heels. Her teammates were shocked and scared by her upfront actions.

 

“She’s gonna get herself killed!” CL cried.

 

“Is she crazy?” Nicole frantically asked. Jessica was standing right across the seven deadly boys, slowly taking her high heels off. CL rushed to her side followed by Sohee and Gahee. Nicole remained in her place, taking pictures of the scenario while shaking in her boots at the same time.

 

“Girls,” Jessica bent down barefooted and handed her heels to Gahee and the other two. “If I don’t make it alive, bury me with them.” Jessica said jokingly. She stood up and turned to face Beast, a tough look came across her face, ready to grapple and tackle them. 

 

[song: “B.U.T.” by Tohoshinki.]

 

[a/n: You should see the B.U.T. video. The setting is very similar to the setting here]

 

“ROUND ONE!” the announcer bellowed. Jessica, in her hanging top and Daisy Dukes, cocked her head from side to side and crunched her knuckles. Her first opponent was Yang Yoseob. Yoseob was a fierce fighter and was sadistic in combat. He was the first round and many men feared him though they never showed it once they were already face to face with him.  Jessica didn’t seem afraid, or at least she didn’t show it but her teammates were shaking in their boots. They didn’t want to be pessimistic but realistically speaking, she just wouldn’t make it.

 

 

“Think you’re tough as nails, huh little girl?” Yoseob asked smugly. Jessica just gave him an ice-cold stare. Yoseob walked around in circles, facing Jessica who was steadily waiting for him to make a move. Yoseob walked over to the corner and spat while Jessica just cringed in disgust in a subtle manner. 

 

“Alright. Let’s get this on. I don’t wanna hurt no pretty girls but-” Jessica rolled her eyes at Yoseob’s chatter and without warning, with Yoseob still deep into his chatter, he never saw Jessica’s foot coming. She kicked him flat in the face, making him fall back. 

 

“WHAT THE ?!?!?! I WASN’T EVEN DONE SPEAKING YET?!?!” Yoseob complained, rubbing his face. 

 

“Enough with your chatter. “ Jessica said coldly. “I don’t have time for words.” Yoseob got up and aimed a fist at Jessica but Jessica grabbed his fist in her small hand, kicked his abdomen and twisted his arm. Yoseob was in a world of pain and disbelief but refusing to give up, he straightened up and slapped Jessica, a move that was so pathetic, it couldn’t be classified as hand-to-hand combat, rather just plain douchebaggery towards a woman. Jessica felt the hard blow of his hand and fell to the ground.

 

“OH MY GOD JESSICA!” Gahee cried. She had never been this worried. Jessica was on the floor which scared the out of them but they were glad to see her slowly standing up, gaining all her strength back. Yoseob grappled with her, hoping to crush her but Jessica’s hands intertwined with his, hoping to topple him with her strong grips. Sicne the first round was usually very easy to get through, Jessica pushed Yoseob hard and rammed him on the steel cage walls. There, she kicked him nonstop in the midsection and punched his jaw several times. Yoseob was outraged by the fact that he was being overpowered by a woman and pushed her down on the ground. Yoseob kicked her side and rolled her around. On the would-be 5th kick, Jessica used her hand to block his foot and snapped his ankle. The martial arts expert quickly shot up and went all Bruce Lee on him, delivering kick after kick, chop after chop. Yoseob tried to sweep her feet but Jessica was quick to jump and spun around, kicked him square in the head, knocking him out. After the count of three, Yoseob couldn’t get up and therefore, Jessica was declared the winner of the first round. 

 

Though she had already scored a victory, it wasn’t enough to convince Gahee and Nicole that they would win as she hadn’t even reached the 3rd round yet. CL and Sohee tried to stay positive and cheered her on.

 

“GO JESSICA! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!” Sohee cried.

 

“COME ON SICA JUNG!!!!” CL said. “KNOCK ‘EM DEAD GIRL!”

 

Jessica had already knocked Yoseob down, meaning she was done with the first round. The second round, in which she had now advanced to, was Hyunseung. Hyunseung may be thin but he was really mighty when it came to combat. It was perfect, they thought. They were both thin and the fight would be even. Jessica made the first move, chopping Hyunseung’s arm but Hyunseung grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm, inflicting serious pain on her.

 

“Rule number one, don’t be a !” spat Hyunseung. Jessica was in a world of pain with her arm twisted. Figuring that she had experienced this during her dojo days, Jessica rolled over and her arm was in perfect condition. She used her other hand to punch Hyunseung across the face and jump in the air, kicking him after a twirl. Hyunseung felt the impact of her foot on his face. Not hesitating, Jessica jumped on him and took him down, UFC style! She sent him a series of kicks and chops but this one, despite being thin, was stronger than the first! He was able to block most of her chops and one of her kicks as well. Jessica was about to give him another foot blow but he grabbed her ankle and twisted it, slamming her down on the ground. Hyunseung quickly approached her but Jessica turned over, laid on her back and put both her feet up, kicking Hyunseung straight in the stomach. Hyunseung fell backwards and gave Jessica the opportunity to take control. The 5’3” fashion diva sprang up from her lying position and jumped on Hyunseung, engaging in a brutal wrestling-and-boxing match with him. Jessica gave him fist after fist, grabbed his neck and slammed him down on the mat. The pounds and kicks Jessica gave Hyunseung weakened him and started to take their toll on his body. Groggy and weary, Hyunseung tried to give one final blow to Jessica but Jessica countered it with her hand. Jessica clutched his hand tightly, almost breaking his fist. Hyunseung’s face was painted with worry and fear. The ice princess smirked at him, leapt up and kicked him across the face, her sole straight to his nose, breaking it and making him bleed. 

 

“Bring it on!” Jessica wiped the small drop of blood that was on the side of her lip. Gikwang, the man of the 3rd round where most men fall, stpped forward to confront his little opponent. 

 

“So you came to fight, huh? Be sure you’re also ready to lose.” he sneered.

 

“I came to fight, and to win.” Jessica said with dignity. 

 

“You know that my round is where most guys lose. And a girl like you..” Gikwang smirked at her. Jessica wasted no time and kicked his abdomen, punching it afterwards. Gikwang was surprised as the impact of her fist was really hard. Gikwang proved that he was indeed strong by taking Jessica’s hair, slamming her down on the floor and sitting on her back, putting her into a submission move. Gikwang sat on the skinny girl’s back and lifted her head via the neck, choking her and stretching her neck. Jessica could feel her windpipe being crushed by Gikwang’s strong hand. This was where she realized why so many men had failed to get past this round. Gikwang’s hands were really strong and she found herself struggling against it.

 

“ARGH! ARGH!” Jessica wailed. The girls saw how much she suffered and cheered her on.

 

“Jessica! Don’t lose hope! You can do it!” Gahee cheered her on.

 

“Jessica come on!!!!!!!” CL banged on the steel cage. Jessica, who was already losing hope in herself and trying to find the last outlet of strength to get herself out of this killer submission move, realized that her thigh was just below Gikwang’s groin. Though in an uncomfortable position, Jessica struggled to lift her thigh to kick Gikwang’s . 

 

Come on Jessica…just a little bit more… she forced herself to get up but Gikwang felt the tension that was coming from beneath and squashed her even more. Jessica was pressed harder onto the mat, her breathing became very slow and she realized that she was losing her breath.

 

Oh goddammit! There’s got to be a way out. Think, Jessica, think! Gasping for air and trying to rise up as her back was really bent by Gikwang’s weight. Resilient and refusing to give up, Jessica tried to squeeze her thin arm out of Gikwang’s thighs and mustering whatever strength was left in her, Jessica shot her arm up and clenched her fist. Using this fist, she punched Gikwang in the face, hitting him on the nose. Repeated jabs caused Gikwang’s nose to bleed. Seeing Gikwang in pain gave the other TREE girls hope that Jessica would come out of this alive. Knowing that Jessica was only a few jabs away from conquering Gikwang, the crowd cheered her on, along with her teammates. Finally, after a succession of punches, Gikwang’s nose busted open and he had no choice but to roll off Jessica. Jessica finally got the chance to stretch her bones and get up. Energized, Jessica went Rocky Balboa on Gikwang, giving him bruises and bumps on the face. 

 

“JESSICA! JESSICA! JESSICA!” Sohee chanted, encouraging the crowd to chant along with her. Their chants made Jessica fight harder, incorporating kicks and chops in order to get revenge on Gikwang. Knowing that this was a no holds barred match, a bruised Jessica grabbed Gikwang’s hair and rammed him face-first onto the steel cage, eliciting huge pandemonium amongst the audience. 

 

“NOBODY! PULLS! ON MY HAIR!” Jessica screamed, repeatedly ramming Gikwang’s face on the steel. When Gikwang had already weakened, Jessica jumped up and spun around, kicking him in the mouth and on the temples, knocking him down. For the first time in history, someone had made it past the submission round and it just happened to be in the person of skinny, prissy, ditsy blonde Jessica Jung. Not so Barbie doll after all, huh? 

 

For the fourth round, Jessica had to go face to face with Junhyung. Still feeling energized though already bruised and a bit bloodied, as well as pained in the back area, Jessica fought on. The fight was hard as Junhyung was quick and Jessica had to sustain additional injuries but her will to win and the energy the crowd was giving her gave her the drive to go on. She flaunted her martial arts skills once more, even harder this time. Her hard-hitting skills knocked him down and out, making her the victor of the 4th round.

 

The fifth round was no trouble for Jessica, either. All she did when she faced off with Dongwoon was channel Mr. Miyagi with her karate skills. Skill, discipline, and determination were all she needed to beat Dongwoon and take him down. The result of her anger and skill wasn’t pretty though. Dongwoon was beaten to a bloody pulp with a black eye and a bump on his forehead. Jessica stood over her work and prepared to face the last  member…

 

Doojoon.

 

Doojoon felt a bit intimidated by Jessica, seeing that she was the only person who was able to take down all 5 members of Beast. No one had ever done that before and with Jessica’s might, she just might take him down.

 

“Are you ready, boy?” she teased. Doojoon felt all clammy and sweaty, not sure if he was going to face Jessica or just give up as he knew that Jessica was a good fighter.

 

“Bring it on, sissy!” Jessica was pissed off at the sound of ‘sissy’ and went for the attack. She ran to him and gave him a drop kick which Doojoon managed to counter by kicking her legs, sending her down on the mat. Jessica landed wrongly on her elbow, causing a slight fracture.

 

“OUCH!” Jessica yelped. Nicole worried about Jessica and leapt on the steel corners but CL stopped her. Jessica tried to get up, rubbing her elbows and got up, not willing to give in to Doojoon. Doojoon felt powerful after knowing that he had inflicted pain on the 5’3” posh powerhouse. The latter however, attacked him with one of her powerful punches. For a small girl, Jessica really packed a punch. Doojoon countered with a punch and a kick on the head. The kick was really powerful that it knocked Jessica down. Unconscious. 

 

“OH MY GOD! NO!” CL cried. “JESSICA! JESSICA GET UP PLEASE!” Jessica just wouldn’t budge. For one, she was just as good as dead. Doojoon felt almost victorious, ready to perform further torture on Jessica.

“Don’t come of as conceited, I just might take it as a challenge.” Doojoon smirked. Jessica was lying flat on her stomach with her face down. Doojoon bent forward and grabbed her by the hair. Jessica felt someone pulling on her hair and a rush of rage overcame her. She felt compelled to stand up and show Doojoon a fighting style he had never seen before. With him pulling her up by the hair, Jessica suddenly shot her hands up and jabbed his face followed by his abdomen.

 

“Didn’t I tell you fools before?” Jessica asked angrily after a succession of punches. “NOBODY TOUCHES MY HAIR!” Jessica jumped up and spun around, her heel landing on Doojoon’s jaw. Doojoon fell backward, a bloody and greasy mess. Jessica wasn’t done with him, though. To heighten the excitement the crowd was feeling, Jessica decided to show them something new.

 

“Bet ya’ll have never seen the art of seductive fighting before, huh?” Jessica teased. She waited for Doojoon to get up and once he was ready to fight again, Jessica began to gyrate, confusing the crowd. 

 

“What is she doing now?!” Gahee gave herself a facepalm, obviously confused with what Jessica was doing. Jessica continued to dance, her hypnotizing moves distracting Doojoon who came after her. As soon as he came charging to her like a bull, Jessica got down and swept him off his feet with her leg. She ily stood up and gyrated even more. Jessica bent backwards and seeing Doojoon unconscious on the mat, she lifted her legs and tumbled backwards, landing on her stomach, flat on his body. Jessica got up, bent forward, did a handstand and a split in mid air. She held this for quite some time before dropping her leg on his throat, choking him. Jessica was in a split position, one leg choking Doojoon. The fashionista fighter managed to wow the crowd and her teammates with her dancing and fighting skills. 

 

“Come on boy! Is that all you’ve got?!” With his other boys down and out, the last member of Beast was trying his hardest to get up and not give up. Jessica was just so hard to beat. He must admit, she was a skilled fighter and not just one of those goons looking for a fight. Doojoon looked up at her and saw her standing astride with her hands on her hips, obviously bored with the challenge that they gave her. Doojoon stood up and gave her a jab but she countered it and tripped him by trapping his ankles. Doojoon kicked her aside and Jessica rolled over and stood up, anticipating his next move. Doojoon ran towards Jessica but the resilient, trained martial artist jumped up, wrapped her legs around his neck and twirled around. She landed on her feet and with his head trapped in her arm, she flipped him over and made sure his face rammed against the steel cage. 

 

“It all ends here!” Jessica yelled. She walked over to Doojoon and grabbed his neck with both hands. Looking at the crowd with viciousness, she snapped his head, cracking his neck and making him fall unconsciously down on the mat. With all 6 boys of Beast down and out, the crowd rejoiced, crowning Jessica the new fighting queen. Her teammates were overjoyed that she was able to surpass the challenge when no one thought she could. CL, Nicole, Sohee, and Gahee ran to the steel door and entered the cage to give her a big hug.

 

“YOU DID IT JESSICA! YOU FREAKING DID IT!” CL screeched as she hugged her teammate tightly. Jessica hugged her back and pretty soon the other girls joined in. 

 

“JESSICA! YOU’RE OUR HERO!” Sohee squealed. 

 

“Jessica! Jessica! Jessica!” the crowd chanted her name. Jessica, though bruised and tired, smiled with pride as she was able to prove herself to the girls, Beast, and the crowd. 

 

“GIRL POWER, YO!” Nicole screamed, pointing at Jessica and hugging her. Jessica flipped her hair and placed an arm around Gahee and Nicole who were standing next to her.

 

“Come on girls, let’s celebrate in the Cadillac!” Jessica said. The girls all cheered her on as they made their way out of the ring amidst the cheers and howls of the men in the audience.

 

 

However, not everyone was happy that she had conquered or they had conquered the final and hardest challenge…