"trust no one but your circle."
it didn't sound like a good idea for six young, not-so-experienced high schoolers to take up a dangerous, life-costing and major mission.
Eunbi and Isa followed the directions on the GPS and drove to the rendezvous, and, alas, the six girls stopped in front of a building.
They get off the car, walked to the alley between two dingy buildings, and found a door on one of the buildings.
"Well, Giselle did say that the entrance wasn't at the front," Yoon mused.
Isa grasped the antique door handle and pushed it open to reveal a low-key, wood-panelled pub.
There was R&B music playing on the jukebox, and they could see patrons enjoying their drinks. Yoon looks ahead and chortles when her eyes land on the bartender.
"Well, if this isn't the man himself, who got socked in the guts and beaten into sense by Yeeun!"
A scowl formed on Koga Yudai, or K's face.
"Shut your trap Jayoon. That was a long time ago," he grimly said. "I quit that life."
He places a glass he cleaned onto the dish rack.
"TAKI! Operate the bar stand, please!" He yells while opening the "STAFF ONLY" door, gesturing them to enter. They stepped into the room and were greeted with a room that was a stark contrast to the cosy-looking pub.
Fluorescent lights illuminated the place with a cool white hue, and more rooms were branching out from the one they were in. It reminded Sieun of the Mavericks' weapon room.
A boy with blonde highlights and an undercut emerged from the back, holding a tablet.
"Ni-ki!"
"Hello, Jayoon-chan!" Ni-ki waved.
"In my whole life, I have never expected to see you two working together," Yoon remarked. K playfully rolled his eyes. "Aerichan successfully got us to cooperate ever since that incident."
"Oh, speaking of Aerichan, she brought us here," Yoon said.
"Mhm, I know." K clapped his hands twice, and the walls inverted to reveal weapons of every kind.
"This hideout is mainly for agents based in Japan, but we also welcome agents who are under the same company but based in other countries."
"Wait, what. You mean that you and Ni-ki are under the same company? As us?"
"Yup. Remember the night when Keita got into a car crash and died?"
Yoon nodded.
"Who's Keita?" Seeun piped in.
"Oh, Yeeun's mortal enemy back in Japan." Seeun 'ah-ed' at Yoon's reply.
"He didn't die. By the time Keita was rescued, Yeeun had already driven off, so she didn't know. Ni-ki pulled him out of the crash, and we got him to the hospital in time for treatment."
Yoon froze at that face. So Keita is still alive?!
"And when Keita was done with his operation and was in a coma, a suited man came to visit us. Guess who that was."
"...Mr Lee," Isa replied on behalf of a shaken Yoon.
"Bingo. He said something about wanting to open a branch in Japan, so he recruited us three. Also, after like months, Keita got out of that state."
Yoon snapped out of her trance. "Wait. So where's Keita now?"
"On a mission. Don't know what mission, though," Ni-ki replied, scrolling through the tablet. "Let's get you up and ready for the next task. What are your goals?"
Isa looked at the other five, and they gave nods of approval. She turns to them.
"It's our final stage. To bring down Stray Kids and their project."
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The chime on the door tinkles again, revealing seven girls with guns. Taki, who was serving a drink to a customer, looks up.
"Yes?"
"We're looking for a five-member group," one of the members spoke with an Australian accent. She hands over a 'wanted' poster to him.
He examines the poster with a poker face.
"Nope. Never seen them before."
She pulls out her agent pass.
"Told you, I never came across them."
"Hey, girlie," another voice spoke. The short-haired girl turns around.
"Don't be a partypooper. If you're looking to pick a fight, do it outside," a girl, with shockingly bright red long hair and bangs, turned around and drawled, one hand swirling around a glass of makgeolli. The short-haired girl clenched her fists before she gestured for her team to go out. The redhead turns back around, chuckling, to face her friends.
"See Taki. It's so easy to chase them out. They can't pick a fight without a valid reason, JYP's policy," the girl rattled in Japanese.
The boy, who was tending the bar, grinned.
"You know you sound like my mum right now, Aerichan."
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do read <chasers>, my other book! It's a prequel to <so bad>, and it contains a lot of parallels (including this chapter name heheheh) and some characters from that story will appear here!
