Cold Case

In Plain Sight

Lisa recovered quickly, with the help of an excellent care team, steady rehabilitation getting her back to her feet, and sheer stubbornness. Jennie knew that the latter made up about 75% of the success. Lisa's scars healed, though they left unpleasant, raised marks all over her body, along her forearm, and a giant slice across her cheek. It looked as if someone had knifed her—and then some. Jennie knew she was self-conscious of it, because every time she visited, Lisa was staring in the mirror at her facial scar, her grimace evident. Jennie wasn't sure if it was disgust, or if it was just annoyance. Lisa would have the scar forever. It was too raised, the bump—no amount of foundation or cover-up would be able to hide the scar at all.

Battle scars used to look cool, Jennie had thought as a child. Scars were something that made people sexy. It made men sexy. It made women sexy. But as Lisa stared at her reflection in the mirror, she couldn't help but think that chicks definitely did not dig this. It was garish, ugly and a mar on her angular face and smooth skin.

She clenched the bedsheets in restrained anger, clenching her teeth. None of this would've happened without the fucking rat in their ranks—but could they even tell who it was? Did anyone have any idea? Was there even an internal investigation going on, headed up by Tiffany and aided by Seulgi? Or was this it? Was this the investigation? Some trap to lure the traitor out into the open by betraying Lisa and Jennie, at the cost of their lives?

In a sick way, Lisa understood. If she had to die in order to reveal the identity of the mole, she would save countless other lives undercover. If that was her legacy, and her fate, then so be it. But as she remained in the hospital bed, all police visitors banned for the sake of raising suspicion since Seunghyun and Dara's visit the other day, it was only Jennie she was allowed to see.

Any other time, she was alone. And every time she was alone, she was left to her thoughts.

She had never liked her thoughts. Too dark. Too grim. Too dramatic.

Mostly, she was restless. She felt useless, as if she couldn't do anything to help the operation at all. Even seated and with a bum leg, Jisoo was the resident tech whiz. She wondered how Jennie was faring on the field without her. She resented the Parks for their carefree way of soldiering, because they were the ones who blew stuff up, provided gunshot covers and all sorts. They had no responsibility of being on the field. They just had to make stuff go boom.

By the time Lisa had recovered, still a little sore where her stitches were, it was Jimin driving the ambulance side-by-side with Rosé, debriefed by Jisoo and Jennie in the back. It had been a completely consensual, legal 'hijack' of an ambulance van, and Jimin decided to put on the siren just for shits. The noise irritated Lisa's head, but she said nothing. Instead, strapped to the stretcher, she called for them to pull over and gather in the back. Jimin did as he was told, and the Parks opened the door to clamber in; Lisa welcomed the crisp breeze.

She reported the situation to them, bluntly and devoid of emotion. Just facts.

There's five of them here, including Jennie. Whatever I say is in confidence with these five.

She just hoped that these were the right five. "Someone was on the phone," Lisa said shakily, confirming Jennie's previous story. "Someone had used a distortion app for the voice. They'd said that they knew our identities. I don't know if it's too risky going back in as if nothing happened."

"Thing is, if they knew, I'd be dead already," Jennie said bluntly, and Lisa flinched at the way she said it. She didn't want to think about Jennie's dead body. No. She'd promised she would not let that happen. Ever.

Lisa examined everyone's reactions at the news: it was the same across the board. Muted horror and mild relief that they seemed to be okay. Jimin was rumpling a hand through his hair, clearly distressed by the news. Rosé reacted regretfully, wishing she'd been armed to take out the sniper—except her rocket launcher, it appeared upon questioning, had mysteriously disappeared days ago. Jisoo had waved it off, accusing Rosé of misplacing it, which led Lisa to Jisoo; she whispered a faint "praise Jesus" under her breath, but still joked about Lisa looking good even if she had nearly died.