One hour earlier...

Yena had been tailing Yuri the whole time after they were dismissed from the meeting. They hadn't talked since last night aside from before they had to go to Seunggi's office when Yuri simply walked up to her and said 'Let's go.'. It was clear she was being ignored, but Yena couldn't help but try and regain favor from the cute hamster.

"Yuri-yah~" She whined for the nth time. Eventually, Yuri turned around and glared at her. Yena wasn't afraid of many things, but the look she was being given had to be on the list.

"What?" Yuri responded indifferently.

"I'm sorry, alright? It was just a joke!!!"

"Well, it wasn't a very funny one if you ask me. Why would you even think about that?"

"How come? Did you not like the idea of marrying me?" Yena teases. Yuri was caught off guard, her cheeks reddening. It's not that she was against it, but it was just such a sudden declaration.

"Ugh, you're impossible!" She yells and walks off again. Yena scratches her head. She was really bad at this whole 'romance' thing. Normally her jokes would land on the mark and make people laugh, but she's starting to realize that it may not be the best approach for a situation like the one she was in. Yena realized she didn't really have a lot of experience with love in general. Sure, her family loved her, but after she left, Yena never felt a connection with anyone in her past group of bandits or even in Yuehua. She was good at making friends, but the second her eyes met Yuri's, it just felt different. She couldn't explain it, and here she was now, fumbling her opportunities and making mistakes. I really need some help on this.

As for Yuri, she was just very confused. She definitely felt something different when she was with that duck. When she found out Yena had tried to single-handedly save her, there was a part of her that was definitely moved. That idiot would run through a brick wall for her, and Yuri was just wondering what she could do in return. It seemed like the sudden mention of the word 'marriage' in Yena's joke really just stuck with her. She didn't know whether to feel angry or embarrassed. She could definitely envision a future with her, but the other half of her, the rational side, is holding her back, trying to keep her on track. She wanted things to go slower, but for what intention? Isn't the end goal of most relationships to settle down together? When Yuri was sure she'd finally put some distance in between herself and Yena, she finds an empty bench at the edge of the forest and takes a breather. That duck...what do I really want?

Of course, the easy way to get what she wanted would be to just charm Yena into falling for her completely, but Yuri had promised herself she wouldn't use her powers for things like that. She wanted to be more than just her powers. She wanted to be able to convince people without planting suggestions into their heads. She wanted to earn the things she wanted, but also didn't know if she could trust herself. Who's to say she ever stopped putting that magic into her conversations. As Yuri was sitting on the bench contemplating all of this, a familiar voice calls her attention.

"Yuri? Is that you? How're you doing?" It was their roommate, Goeun.

"Oh, hey, Goeun..." Yuri greets rather unenthusiastically.

"What's wrong? What's with the long face?"

Yuri sighs. "I don't know...it's Yena. You know how she is."

"Well, I'd like to think you know her better than anyone here." She says with a little laugh.

"She's just so...ugh." Yuri can't even put her finger on it. Yena just makes her feel all sorts of things.

"You look so flustered right now." Goeun laughs. "She definitely knows how to pick a girl."

"What do you mean...?" Yuri asks. Goeun stares ahead into the distance.

"I used to like you too. Did you know that?" She suddenly admits in a melancholy tone.

"Huh??? What? I never noticed!" Yuri's even more flustered now. She just received a confession. Who wouldn't be shocked?

"Of course you didn't." Goeun laughs, but you could feel the slight tinge of sadness behind it. "I thought I was being a bit too obvious, but you had your eyes on Yena the entire time."

"Wait, I don't know what you mean."

"I ended up getting over you because you just looked so enamored by Yena, and it definitely looked like she was into you too. You two are pretty perfect for each other." Goeun continues. "You can be so dense sometimes. If you saw how angry Yena was after being told to wait a couple days before going to rescue you...anyone with half a brain could tell she was crazy about you.." Yuri was stunned. They definitely had their moments, those talks alone in their dorm, that time when they were at the terrace at night, spending a day captured next to each other's cell. Looking back, she was definitely the real idiot. Yena was probably just as awkward as her, maybe that's why she kept joking around. It could've been her coping mechanism. That duck can be such a mess sometimes.

"Yuri? Earth to Yuri? You've spaced out." Goeun had just been sitting there looking at Yuri deep in thought. She remembers looking at her with so much emotion, but now, she understood that Yuri's heart was somewhere else.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry." Yuri shakes herself out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry I didn't notice earlier."

"Don't worry about it. You and Yena are perfect for each other. Make sure to keep her under control." Goeun lets out a genuine laugh this time. She may have gotten over her, but Yuri was still a good friend. She wanted nothing but the best for her. Yuri gets up and was about to wave goodbye and look for Yena again, but she's caught off guard by the ground beginning to rumble beneath her.

"What the heck?" Yuri wonders aloud. She and Goeun turn towards where the tremors were coming from.

"Isn't there a barrier that cloaks this place?" Goeun asks gingerly.

"Yeah, there's no way people would find this place, even by chance...unless." A damning realization hits Yuri. The scientist...

~~~~

It wasn't like you'd destroy the whole city, right? You may not be a star anymore, but you can definitely get it back. The words from the old lady they'd met in Myeong-dong ring back in Yujin's head while she's eating breakfast. Wonyoung had dragged her over with her saying that she was really hungry from the events over the past few days. She didn't look like it, but Wonyoung could really eat a lot. By the time Yujin had touched her plate, she was already looking for seconds. Yujin wasn't really in the mood to eat at the moment. She was too busy thinking. How could she eventually make a comeback when the country is so against people like her. Sure, there were people like that old woman, but there were just as many, if not more, people like the scientist they'd captured.

"You haven't touched any of your food yet." Wonyoung comments in between bites. "What's up?"

"Do you really think we'll ever be accepted into society?" It was a heavy hitting question, but it was one that had been swirling through Yujin's thoughts for so long. People like her and Wonyoung are so young, yet they get treated like monsters. She can only imagine the lack of empathy people feel about older mutants like Gaeun. It just wasn't fair.

"Hey, look at me." Wonyoung reaches across the table and puts a hand on Yujin's shoulder. "It's gonna be alright. As much as I hate to admit it, we're in this together. Things will get better eventually." Sure, Wonyoung was frustrated at how slow Yujin was when it came to her feelings, but she'd honestly stay by her side for as long as she'd let her. Yujin was such an energetic person. She was like Yena in that sense. She knew what her friends needed, and always put them before herself.

"Thanks..." Yujin responds quietly. She truly appreciated Wonyoung's moral support. She may be a bit uptight at times, but her heart was always in the right place. They were two of the youngest people in the campus, so it only made sense that they'd stick to each other. It was like they were meant for each other...wait. That last thought just popped into Yujin's head and now she's internally cringing. Meant for each other. Really? Am I that much of a sap?

"Uh, Yujin? Was that tteokbokki too spicy? Your face is red." Wonyoung points out.

"Oh, uh, yes, of course. I just didn't expect it." Yujin says with a forced laugh.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" Wonyoung asked to change the topic, for Yujin's sake.

"Of course I do. Worst day of my life" She jokes causing Wonyoung to smack her. "I kid, I kid." Yujin raises her hands up in surrender.

"I never asked you. How come you looked so calm when the police came to claim you?"

"I was just in a rough time, you know, getting fired from all my gigs. I didn't have the energy to complain. I really needed to rest. Besides, you were already whining the entire way there, princess. I didn't want to get on their bad side either." She may have , but in truth, when Yujin first saw Wonyoung as she was escorted to the van, she was pretty starstruck. She didn't really know what to say. Wonyoung actually was dressed like a rich kid. A princess. Even today, in their training clothes, she still looked stunning. Wonyoung moved with an air of grace, and her powers kind of helped accentuate it. The way she could move objects and float them around with her mind sometimes felt mesmerizing, but she would never admit that to her. Yujin didn't believe she was worthy of someone of such high status. She was kind of hoping Wonyoung would be the one to confess to her, so she'd feel a little less guilty.

On the other end of the table, Wonyoung was thinking back to Yuri's advice to her. Just tell Yujin you like her. If she rejects you, you learn and move on. She so wanted to say it, but her pride just wouldn't allow her. "She had to make Yujin confess to her first", was the thought running through her...but maybe she should give it a shot.  Yujin was always so frustrating and slow. Maybe she should just bite the bullet. This situation was like a war of minds between the two young girls, new to this feeling called love.

"But yeah." Yujin continues. "I remember you just whining the entire time. Maybe the others were right to dislike your attit-" Yujin sees her life flash before her eyes as she sees Wonyoung's expression sour. "I mean, I decided to stick by your side from that day because you really looked like someone who needed a friend, someone to teach you how we normal people go about life. You may be a huge whiner, but I'm glad that we've stuck together the whole time." Yujin starts to feel relief as Wonyoung's expression softens. It may have sounded like it came on the spot, but she did sincerely mean every word. It's just that she was still young too. She was used to making jokes, but at least she catches herself, unlike a certain duck. Yujin really dodged a bullet with that one.

"Hey, Yujin?" Wonyoung calls her attention again, suddenly looking a bit more serious, like she was holding something back.

"Yes?"

This is it Wonyoung. Do it for you. Do it for Yujin. Just. Say. It.

"I-" What she was about to say was cut off by the cafeteria feeling a shake. The trainees inside all stopped what they were doing and looked around.

"An earthquake? That's strange." Yujin wonders. "Hey, Noe! Was that you?" The Japanese girl shook her head in response.

"That's odd...sorry, what were you about to say, Wonyoung?" Yujin asks as the trainees start milling around once more.

"Uh, nothing important." Wonyoung quickly changes her mind on her confession. That was close. A few moments later, another tremor is felt, this time stronger.

"Noe, I told you to knock it off with the jokes!" Yujin says sarcastically, trying to keep everyone from panicking. Yujin had a knack for public speaking, that was for sure.

"I told you, it wasn't me!" She says back. All of a sudden, the lights begin to flicker, and a random projectile breaks through a window and rolls to the center of the cafeteria, a hint of mist seeping from it. Oh . Yujin thinks.

"Everyone, get down! Do not breathe the gas in!" And with that, chaos ensues.

~~~~

"It's a wonderful day, isn't it?" Chaewon says out loud. The girl behind her is just fighting to hide the grin on her face. It was just a walk, but Minjoo felt so ecstatic. It felt like she was on cloud-nine. "Sure is." She responds despite her gaze being fixated on the girl in front of her instead of the bright blue sky above. Oh, how perfect would this be if Minjoo wasn't such a shy mess around her. She'd been taking steps, but Minjoo was still unsure of herself. The thoughts at the back of her head continue to dog her. She's just toying with you. Why would that girl waste her time on you? You'll only disappoint her in the end. Minjoo tried her best to fend off her demons, but something like that is always easier said than done. She just managed to hide it better than most.

Chaewon continues to aimlessly walk further, simply assuming the younger girl was following, unaware of her internal debates. Minjoo was so obviously into her, but Hitomi's suggestion that she didn't see the same interest coming from herself seemed like nonsense. Chaewon was fairly sure she'd made herself quite obvious as well. Sure, she did joke around with her a lot, but it was just her trying to tease Minjoo. Surely she's seen through it by now, right? After a few more paces, Chaewon decides to turn and check on the girl, and sees her looking very anxious.

"Minjoo? You alright?"

"Yeah, of course, why wouldn't I be?" Though Minjoo thought of herself as good with hiding her feelings, Chaewon saw right through her façade.

"Hey, c'mon. Cheer up!" She slowly walks towards Minjoo and pushes her chin up. "You said this was a wonderful day, right? You need to stop looking down and focus on what's in front of you." Minjoo manages to shake herself out of that mood swing because of the encouragement. She marvels at herself on how she managed to go from incredibly happy from being on this walk with Chaewon, to extremely down from her own self-doubt. "I'm sorry." Minjoo says with a slight laugh. "I don't know what came over me."

"Don't worry about it, Min. I'm right here." She reassures. "We haven't had a break in a couple of days, we might as well enjoy it." Chaewon was right. Maybe she was being too worried over nothing." As they continued their walk, Chaewon made sure to match her steps with Minjoo's. It just made Minjoo feel so much more confident when Chaewon was supporting her. Suddenly, she has an idea to maybe poke some fun at the older girl for once instead of the other way around.

Once again, Chaewon loses track of her surroundings while looking up at the clear sky, walking forward unaware on if Minjoo was still next to her. Maybe I should confirm what Hii-chan said, just in case. She thought to herself. "Hey, Min-" She begins to ask when she realizes that the pretty girl was nowhere to be seen. Minjoo had disappeared. Chaewon rubs her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Other trainees walked by the path past her as if nothing had happened. She just manages to catch a glimpse of Yuri running away from Yena as she calls her. She sighs. She'd help the duck out if she didn't have her own issues to deal with at the moment.

"Minjoo! I know you're here somewhere! Don't tell me you pulled a prank on me or something!" She says out loud to the confusion of the trainees making their way past her. Was I crazy...? All of a sudden, she was starting to think that she'd been walking alone the whole time. Chaewon splits herself two clones to help search around for the younger girl. "I swear, Min, if this is a trick!"

Chaewon ends up making her way deeper into the forest past the stone path they were on. She swore she saw a rustling from within, but she wasn't sure whether it was just a regular animal or not. After wandering around a bit more, Chaewon enters an empty clearing. She's got to be around here somewhere.... Suddenly, she hears a faint disturbance in the wind, as if someone had run by. Chaewon sets all three versions of herself in a triangle defensive stance, you could never be too prepared. It wasn't like Minjoo was the only entity in this forest. She closes her eyes and feels what's around her. With a quick strike, she turns and grabs the figure, pinning her down on the ground with all three of herself. Chaewon was ready to feel proud of herself for that slick move until she realized that she was holding onto...an invisible figure? Oh no...

"Oh my god, Minjoo. I am so, so sorry!" She immediately gets up on her feet again, pulling the figure up who grunts in pain. That's when she realized something else was wrong...this figure did not feel or sound like Minjoo. To her shock, a soldier begins to appear in front of her, a buzzing sound fromcoming his pocket, as if there was a malfunction. Chaewon quickly recomposes herself and delivers a big round-house kick for good measure. She pins him back onto the ground, interrogating him. "Who the hell are you and why are you here?" The soldier only chuckles as Chaewon hears the click of a gun's safety going off. She grabs at a grenade from the man's back pocket, knocking him out afterwards as her clones try to distract the shooters aiming in the distance. When she has it, she throws it down and makes a beeline back to the campus, an explosion ringing behind her. This definitely wasn't good.

~~~~

"These past couple days have been pretty wild, haven't they?" Nako says between breathes. She and Hitomi had gone right back into training the second they were dismissed. It seemed like a habit from their days in Japan. Even though they were from different groups, they more or less had the same schedule. The units in Japan rarely got off days because they were seen as weapons more than people. Though the trainers at the campus were also strict, they also cared a lot more. Nako remembers how Trainer Yoon-jeong had advised them all to get some rest once they got back from their first mission, a stark contrast from her superiors back home that forced them to keep training.

"Yeah...I've been enjoying it though. It honestly feels better here. I feel like I'm being treated like an actual human being." Hitomi responds. "I'm also so glad to meet all of you."

Nako grins. "I agree. These Koreans are quite interesting. I only knew about the country from TWICE to be honest." That statement gets a giggle out of Hitomi.

"Maybe we can help you meet them one day." She says cheerfully. One day...Nako is caught up with that phrase.

"Are you going back to Japan after all's said and done?" Nako suddenly turns serious catching the peach-cheeked girl off guard. Hitomi had never actually thought about it.  Sure, she's enjoyed her time here, but she also still needed to find her parents.

"It's complicated..." She says quietly.

"Is it your parents?" When Hitomi nods, she continues. "I told you, we'll help you find them. I think the platform we could have by staying would be more helpful than going back home alone. We can do this together." Hitomi was touched by the shorter girl's sentiments. It made her even more glad to have friends like Nako.

"So, I take it you want to stay?"

"Of course I'd love to see my family again, but like I said, we could do a lot of good here if we make that final team. We could help so many people." Nako's eyes are shining like one of those anime characters Hitomi had seen as a kid. This girl had some big aspirations inside that tiny body, a whole lot of heart. "You with me?" Nako asks. Hitomi didn't expect to say yes, but Nako's conviction had convinced her subconsciously. Before she knew it, she was reaching to shake Nako's hand, but the shorter girl pulled her in for a hug instead, causing Hitomi's cheeks to blush.

"I'm really glad to be your friend, Hi-chan."

"C-can't...c-can't breathe..." Hitomi tries to squeeze out as Nako's super strength embraced her tighter.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Now it was Nako shying away, slightly embarrassed.

"It's cool, I'm really glad to have met you too." Hitomi tilts her head and grins.

"Want to grab a bite to eat?" Nako asks.

"Sure, I could really go for some bread."

"Of course, you do." She laughs in response.

When the two walk out of the training rooms and outside towards the path to the cafeteria, they were met by a chaotic scene. Trainees running around everywhere, Japanese and Korean soldiers trailing them. There was smoke in the air coming from the forest and a white mist flowing out from the cafeteria.

"What in the world? How did we not hear anything?" Nako asks as she takes Hitomi behind a corner to hide.

"Those sound-proof walls were no joke." Hitomi answers.

"Hey, you two! Freeze!" A soldier says when he spots them, aiming his weapon. Hitomi quickly raises her hands and the grass from beneath the guy explodes into a mass of weeds, entangling him.

"Hurry! We have to find the others! Wonyoung said she was gonna go eat at the cafeteria, and Yujin went with her." She yells pulling Nako's hand along as the two head towards where the two youngest supposedly were.