TARGET

마흔 다섯

Using the pads of his fingers to drum against the chilled plastic harboring his iced beverage, Joshua drove the Ursula Minor van with his latter hand fastened on the steering wheel that veered through Seoul's vehement bustle.

In his company sat Seungkwan in the passenger's seat, his newly-dyed ruby mane daintily resting upon the window littered with crystal dewdrops and patches of fog, further obscuring the gray scape that resided just beyond the glass. Behind them sat Chenle and Jaemin, indisputably the two most viable for the task at hand.

It had officially passed the two-week mark since the grand incursion transpired, the state of the dormitory hadn't amended to a notable extent, but at least it was still feasible for the twelve to breathe the same air for at least a constrained duration. 

To be completely frank, Joshua felt as if the road before him could only get worse, and not just figuratively, traffic was terrible that day; vehicles were practically connected at the hip.

Joshua sighed, twirling a digit around the flimsy paper straw flailing in between the teeth of the lid of his iced americano. An upbeat 2000's tune played faintly in the reticent atmosphere, it was quite accustomed for seldom words to be exchanged in the company of fellow members, even the small coterie of four.

The lids of his eyes drooped, for he was still exhausted from the "nightmare" he had endured the preceding night. Partaking in a mission in that state was a huge gamble, but Joshua placed his hopes in Jisoo, especially after the scene the night anon, his Stargift indefinitely had an obligation to compensate for the havoc he wreaked.

The mission at hand was simplistic enough:

A man was being held for ransom at Shinhan bank after a robbery of 80 million won, a mere bystander albeit, thus the police were willing to turn a blind eye and focus primarily on obtaining the monetary value. Of course, Ursula had ulterior motives:

Meet with their associate at the bank; go to the venue with their associate in which they hand in the faux briefcase; while the negotiating with the thieves, Ursula will position themselves to briefly, then, divert their attention from the associate, allotting Joshua enough time to freeze and for the party to abscond with the victim in the associate's hands.

A cinch extraction, if Joshua were to be completely frank.

Nonetheless, he felt slightly wary at the fact that the success of the mission entrusted his ability to manipulate his Stargift or not-

"You use my power, but only to the extent you wish; you ignore your past, my origin; does it sound fair to you Joshua?"

Joshua winced at the recollection, the ghost of a splitting migraine washing over his cranium.

Jisoo's words would loom over his head as an incessant reminder.

"Bro, I'm literally about to fold my legs are in a casket right now,"

"What language are you even speaking, Jaemin?"

After a gruelingly long commute, the four arrived at the hind entrance of Shinhan bank, the biggest government-owned bank of the country, thus indubitably, the building was extravagant in its glory- not so much when strewn in yellow crime tape, however.

Their associate was the investment banking vice president, Park Jaewoong, a goodhearted man in his mid-thirties who gave Ursula the tip of the altercation that took place. Apparently, upon their departure, the burglars, a gang named "Hecatum," were to take him, Mr. Park, and hold him for a 2 million won ransom for his high executive status, but somehow in a brawl, was saved by a similar-dressed civilian who the criminal militia mistook for him. Mr. Park, with a distressed conscious, noticed the enthusiasm, or lack thereof, that the police held for locating the victim, and in hopes of repaying the gratuitous favor, reached out to Ursula Minor to save the man.