“Are you Kim Taeyeon?”

Taeyeon looked up see a rather lanky young man hovering over her table, “Y-yes?”

The man smiled and stuck out his arm, “I am Yunho from level 2.”

Taeyeon nodded, “Taeyeon level 6.”

The man took a seat across from Taeyeon who sat in shock that a level 2 just happened to invite themselves to her table while she waited for her friends to arrive, “you have no idea what an honor it is for me to formally greet myself like this.”

Taeyeon nodded blankly because she couldn’t believe it either.

“I don’t think it is a secret around here that you are a child-prodigy and every level wants you to join their group. Me included. I also know about your little incident that happened nearly a month ago. I wanted to visit you but you might have thought it strange if a stranger came to your hospital room,”  Yunho laughed awkwardly, “Are you ok now?”

Once again Taeyeon nodded, “Yea. The bandages are still on but for now I am ok.”

“That is good to hear…do you possibly have time to talk with me today? I won’t lie that I am going to try and recruit you but I can’t talk about level 2 activities openly like this. Would you be interested to hear me out?”

Taeyeon looked at the man curiously wondering if she should take him up on the offer or not, “I am not sure…”

Yunho’s face turned serious as he leaned forward, “Taeyeon I won’t lie to you but both you and I know that your skill set would better suit a higher level. At least let me show you what you could really do instead of rot away in level 6.”

“But level 6 is my home…” and where her memories of Hyomin remain.

“I am only asking for an hour of your time tops. Please?”

Taeyeon wanted to refuse again but Yunho was giving her sincere eyes that made her just want to agree, “Fine but I am really not looking to leave level 6.”

Yunho smiled cheerfully, “I will make this meeting worth your while at the very least.”

Taeyeon followed Yunho to a training room where his team was doing practice combat, “hey everyone gather!” Yunho shouted causing the team to come closer to him and Taeyeon, “this is Kim Taeyeon…”

Taeyeon could hear the members murmuring her name like they were already very familiar with who she was.

“I will be showing her around so she can see what we do here in level 2. You are dismissed.”

After several members of Yunho’s group greeted Taeyeon, Yunho guided her to back of the room so they could sit on the mats. Taeyeon watched as Yunho’s team trained together. Taeyeon could clearly say that their skill set was much much higher than any one she could spar with in level 6.

“Taeyeon what do you really know about level 2?”

She looked over at Yunho who had his attention on his team training, “level 2 includes members that do all the confidential missions.”

“True. Anything else?”

“Umm not just anyone can get into level 2. They would have to be appointed by a team leader like yourself and then get approval by level 1 to enter a level 2 position.”

Yunho couldn’t help but laugh at Taeyeon’s administrative knowledge, “You really do sound like a reporter.”

“Well I have been doing that for a long time…”

Yunho broke his attention from his team to look at Taeyeon, “why did you stay so long? I know you were up for promotion several times.”

“I didn’t want to leave.”

“You know Taeyeon there is a reason we have opportunities for promotion.”

“To better ourselves?”

“Well there is that but something else much more important.”

“What?”

“When we are in one place for too long, we get too comfortable.”

“Is that bad?”

“If you stay in one place you tend to hold onto things thinking that is the only way things should be. It is the reason people are afraid to join the Resistance and stay in the crappy system the Party made for them. It is always scary to leave something familiar but if we want things to get better and heal, we have to do it. Leave and start anew.”

“Yunho…”

“Taeyeon I said before that I was watching you for a long time. I know why you won’t leave level 6 but what keeps you there now will only hurt you.”

“What do you really know?” Taeyeon said with a fierce accusation that Yunho was dissecting her without really knowing what it feels like to lose everyone you love.

Yunho just laughed as if he was expecting such a reaction, “Taeyeon if you come into the Resistance expecting no one to have gone through hardships you would be wrong. It is the struggles and pains that we go through that drive us to take down the Party. All I am asking you now is, are you ready to do that?”

Taeyeon jerked awake in a cold sweat, “Taeyeon?”

Looking over to the girl beside her she fell back onto the bed, “It’s ok Jessica…just a dream.”

Jessica had come over the night before after hearing from Taeyeon’s roommates that Taeyeon hasn’t been sleeping well and they were concerned for the girl’s wellbeing. Wondering if Jessica’s presence would help, Yoona and Yuri asked Jessica to stay in their room while they were gone on a weeklong mission. It was hard getting Taeyeon to put her work aside and sleep which ended in Jessica cradling the girl in her arms whilst they both drifted off to dreamland but that was short lived as it was 2am and Taeyeon was sweating and awake, “no you aren’t. You are sweating.”

“Maybe the covers are too hot.”

Jessica reached over and caressed the sweat off Taeyeon’s baby-face, “no it isn’t. What happened in your dream? Was it a nightmare?”

Taeyeon rolled onto her back to look at the ceiling, “It wasn’t a nightmare…it was a memory.”

“Was it about…”

“No. I haven’t dreamt about her for a long time now. It was about Yunho…”

“Aww Taeng…he will be fine.”

Turning to face Jessica again, “Jessica it has been a month. A month!”

“Siwon just left to aid the search party. From what you tell me about Yunho, he can take care of his own. From what I know, you trust him with your life, why not trust him with his own?”

“Because…1 week means hiding, 2 weeks means capture, and 3 weeks means death.”

“Tae…don’t think that way. We have no facts to aid that accusation and it is affecting your health. If you really want to go out and help the search party, you need to heal…which means sleep.”

“But…”

Jessica leaned forward to kiss away all of Taeyoen’s fears and worries but Taeyeon kissed back thinking Jessica was the only air she could breathe.

-------------------------

Taeyeon would pace around if she wasn’t confined to crutches. The search party was gone nearly a month amongst various missions they carried out but today she received news that they were to return. Waiting around the portal to the outside, Taeyeon was getting antsy. What also didn’t help was that Jessica was gone for the day doing reporting. Nothing about today was making her feel better.

“Sitting alone?”

Taeyeon looked up to see Yuri eating something, “Just waiting for the team.”

“Don’t you have like a mission report later today? Couldn’t you just wait till that?”

“No. I need to know now.”

Yuri sat next to Taeyeon, “You are like the worst patient. Recovering silently and taking a vacation is something you should be doing.”

“I don’t know how to do that when there is like a war going on?”

“Do you think the cast will be off earlier?”

Taeyeon looked down at her very pathetic leg, “I had a scan for my 2 month check but the doctor was afraid if I took too hard a blow to the leg, it would break again.”

“Still another month then?”

“Yea.”

“You have been a pain for the past 2 months…I can’t imagine another.”

Taeyeon went to hit Yuri hard, “yah! I am not bad.”

Yuri rubbed her arm, “are you kidding me? You like never sleep or stay still. All my beauty sleep is going to waste!”

 “Only for like the first month…then I got those sedatives.”

“Your cast still hits the wall.”

Taeyeon hit Yuri again causing the younger girl to yelp in pain, “I can’t help that.”

“Abusive to your only friend who has been helping these days.”

As the two women squabbled, the portal door opened showing a very battered team walking through with all their gear, “Taeyeon!!!” Siwon yelled out and went to hug his favorite teammate.

“Yah giant let go of my friend.” Yuri said as she pulled Taeyeon away from Siwon’s death grip.

Siwon and Taeyeon could only laugh, “Good to see you guys back!” Taeyeon was very excited to see her team return, “So what is the news?”

That was when Siwon’s face turned sullen, “There is a lot to discuss but I can’t talk about it now. You know the debriefing time right?”

Taeyeon pouted, “but that is another 3 hours.”

Siwon laughed again, “You have to let us rest too Taeyeon. Just wait till then ok? You can play with your tall friend here.”

Yuri glared at the masculine man, “yah you take the runt,” Yuri got hit in the arm again, “what? I am not your sitter.”

“No one told you to be.” Taeyeon countered.

“You two work it out. I am due for a nap. See you soon Taeyeon!”

Taeyeon watched as Siwon headed towards his section and she was again left alone with Yuri, but as she turned she also saw Yuri go off in another direction, “Hey! Wait up for me giant!”

Taeyeon hobbled into the meeting room ahead of everyone else. For a while she doodled on her paper until her team trickled in and greeted her with a hug or pat on the back, “Is that everyone?”

Siwon stood up as he was the acting leader in Yunho’s absence.

“We are going to debrief the latest stream of missions but for now I thought we should bring Taeyeon up to speed.” Siwon dug around in his backpack and pulled out a broken watch, “Taeyeon we tried but…”

Taeyeon didn’t care that her leg was still broken or that she shouldn’t be walking on the cast as she ran up to the front where Siwon held the watch, “No! No don’t tell me that…”

“Taeyeon we found this 5 miles from the incident site.”

“Which area?”

“Near the location we first found you 3 years ago.”

Taeyeon held the watch close, “What about his body?”

Siwon shook his head, “We can’t go near the building to look but you know that place…”

Tears were b as Taeyeon held Yunho’s watch closer to her body, “no…no it can’t be. He is still out there somewhere.”

Patting Taeyeon’s shoulder Siwon sought to bring Taeyeon some comfort, “It is possible but…with it being 2 months and the location of the watch I don’t think….”

“Don’t say it!” Taeyeon yelled, “He is still around.”

Siwon sighed as he saw Taeyeon breaking down in front of him. Never had he saw Taeyeon unravel, “Taeyeon…I don’t want to…but Level 1 approved me as the new leader of our team.”

Taeyeon didn’t even bother to wipe her tears away, “They did what?”

“They called off the search and appointed me.”

“How could they do that? We don’t even know for sure.”

“I know that too but what can we do? People go missing in the Party all the time.”

“Yunho isn’t one of those people.”

Taeyeon was clearly in denial, “We still need a leader. I told Level 1 to make you the leader instead if you want…”

“No…Yunho is the only one who can lead this team.”

“Taeyeon…”

She had enough. Taeyeon grasped onto the table for support as she desperately reached for her crutches to leave.

------------------

Jessica heard about Taeyeon’s little meltdown during the debriefing after she returned from her work. It took a while to find the moping girl but Jessica had figured out most of Taeyeon’s hiding places by now, “This is an interesting place to hide yourself.”

Taeyeon was surprised to hear Jessica in this room, “What are you?”

“Siwon told me about earlier, but why here?”

Taeyeon picked at the mat she was sitting on, “Yunho and I used to train here secretly at night. Not many people know about it because it is not by the other training rooms.”

Jessica took a seat next to Taeyeon, “I heard a bit from Siwon but do you want to tell me what is going on?”

Taeyeon let her head fall onto Jessica’s shoulder, “they can’t find him.”

“Do you think that is good or bad?”

“I can see it in Siwon’s eyes that he thinks Yunho is dead.”

“What do you feel in your gut?”

“Not even a bullet could kill Yunho.”

Jessica reached out to take Taeyeon’s hand in her own, “Taeyeon I don’t think you would be here if that was what you really believed.”

Taeyeon closed her eyes as the tears rolled down her cheeks, “I…”

Jessica leaned over to kiss Taeyeon’s forehead, “things don’t always turn out like we wanted them too…but it will get better in time.”

Quickly wiping her tears away, Taeyeon sniffled, “Hey do you remember about a month ago when I was having those dreams that always woke me up?

“Yea. I was with you for some of them.”

“There was one I had where I remembered the time Yunho came to recruit me into Level 2. I was going through a hard time with Hyomin’s death and all. He told me that the struggles and pains that we go through that drive us to take down the Party. Jessica I am going to crush them.”

Author's Note

Hello readers! Missed you guys so much. I think this is the turning point in the story where some serious things will start to happen. Yay!