The rhythmic beeping of machines echoed through the sterile hospital room, a stark reminder of the seventeen-year-old boy's fragile state. Min-jae lay unconscious, his body battered, his breathing uneven. The dim light cast shadows on the worried faces of the team as they huddled in one corner, tension thick in the air.

The killer had made his move. He had sent people to silence the only witness—an orphaned teenager. That alone proved how dangerous he was.

"So..." Changbin exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "What now?"

"We find him," Y/n said, her voice laced with exhaustion. She had solved countless cases before, but this one felt different. Three weeks had passed—far beyond their usual two-day limit. The pressure was suffocating.

"That's easier said than done," I.N muttered. "The only lead we had was his connection to Min-jae's orphanage, but even that turned out to be a dead end. What else do we have?"

Bangchan crossed his arms, his gaze drifting toward Min-jae's unconscious form. "We can't afford to start from scratch. Kwon-ii hyung is already breathing down our necks, waiting for a chance to take over. If we don't make progress soon, he'll switch the case to 'his' team."

"And we all know what happens when he gets a case," Felix muttered, running a hand through his hair. He'd been extra frustrated lately—so much that their wallets were suffering just from buying his daily coffee fix.

"There is still one thing we haven't fully looked into," Seungmin spoke up, his voice calm despite the growing tension.

The room fell silent as the team turned to him, minds racing to piece together what they might have missed.

"The logo," he finally said. "The one on the money envelope Min-jae had."

Han snapped his fingers. "Right! You mentioned seeing it before—at that fundraising event, wasn't it?"

"Exactly," Seungmin nodded. "And they raised an unusually large amount of money that night."

Hyunjin narrowed his eyes. "Wait—you never told us who organized that event."

A knowing look crossed Seungmin's face. "Because I only just confirmed it." He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice.

The anticipation in the room thickened.

"Well?!" Hyunjin whisper-yelled, barely restraining himself. "Just say it already!"

Seungmin smirked slightly, before continuing.

"Does anyone here remember the Gudan-go train accident?" Seungmin asked, his voice laced with something that made everyone pause.

Changbin scoffed. "Of course I do. I was in Gudan-go when it happened, even helped out a bit. That case was insane..." He shook his head, recalling the chaos.

"Then you must know who was behind it," Seungmin smirked, eyes gleaming with something dangerous.

Changbin leaned back, arms crossed. "Who wouldn't? That case was the hottest topic in town. Some absolute lunatic hijacked the entire train—not just a compartment, the whole damn thing—all to break his daughter out of prison. And get this, she was innocent."

He let out a humorless chuckle before continuing. "The real criminal? A VIP's brat. But they had money, power, and connections, so guess who got framed instead? The poor girl. And her father... well, he used to be rich too—until his own business partner screwed him over, stole everything, and left him in ruins. Guess that was enough to set his daughter off, huh? She lashed out at the VIP's kid, and suddenly, she's the one in cuffs. No trial. No justice. Just prison." His jaw clenched. "Anyone would lose it after that."

Silence filled the room as the weight of the story sank in.

Lee Know exhaled sharply, rolling his eyes. "Touching. But what the hell does any of this have to do with our case, Mr. Kim Seungmin?" His patience was running thin with all the riddles.

Seungmin leaned forward, his smirk deepening. "What if I told you..." He let the words hang, enjoying the tension. "The guy—the one who hijacked the train—is the same man who organized that fundraiser"

The air shifted.

"And the owner of Min-jae's orphanage?" Seungmin continued, voice dropping lower, sharper. "He's the business partner who betrayed him. Stole his fortune. Ruined his life. Then ran off, leaving him to burn."

Silence.

Not the kind filled with shock and gasps. No.

The kind that was deadly.

The only sound in the room was the rhythmic beeping of Min-jae's machines.

Felix exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples. "This case is about to be one hell of a nightmare, isn't it?"

"I know this isn't the best time... but can we pleeeaaase take a break and grab a drink?" Han mumbled, barely lifting his head. He hesitated, then slowly started to stand—only to sit right back down when Bangchan shot him a glare so sharp it could slice through steel.

"What?! I'm just saying! The cops are here to watch Min-jae, and the doctor literally said it'll take forever for him to wake up. I need food, hyung! My brain is dying!" Han whined dramatically, clutching his stomach like he'd been starved for days.

Bangchan's expression didn't budge.

"No. Absolutely not."

***

The cafe was warm, the scent of coffee and pastries filling the air. A peaceful, cozy place.

Except at Table 3.

There, nine elite agents sat, their heads buried in a cold case that refused to crack. Their energy? Completely different from the relaxed chatter surrounding them.

"Mmm... Nothing beats hot chocolate with extra marshmell—OW! HYUNG!" Han shrieked, nearly dropping his cup as Bangchan twisted his ear.

"Focus." Bangchan let go, eyes narrowed. "You dragged us here, and if Lee Know wasn't holding me back, you'd be six feet under right now. Do not  push your luck."

Han huffed, rubbing his poor ear with a pout. "You're so meaaaan," he whined, sinking deeper into his seat. "What's the point of a break if we're just gonna stress over the case again? I thought breaks were for relaxing..."

Bangchan shot him another warning look, and Han instantly shut up, hugging his hot chocolate.

Lee Know let out a sigh before turning to Y/n, who sat to his right. "Stressed?"

"Just thinking," she muttered, absentmindedly stirring her drink with the straw, completely zoning out.

Lee Know sighed again, eyeing her untouched drink before casually taking her cold hand in his. Without a word, he lifted her cup to her lips. "Drink this before your cold drink gets... well, colder."

Y/n rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the warmth creeping onto her face. "I'm not a baby. I can drink on my own," she huffed, snatching the cup from his hand before chugging it down in one go.

Hyunjin, ever the dramatic llama, clutched his chest. "Geez, never seen someone murder chocolate milk like that. That was the most un-milky way to drink milk."

"Speaking of murders..." I.N piped up, taking a sip of his own drink. "Where were we with the case?"

Han groaned and shot Hyunjin a glare. "Wow, thank you so much, you absolute idiot. I worked so hard to distract them, and you just had to bring it up again?"

Hyunjin scoffed. "What did I do?! Stop acting like this is my fault. You're talking as if I personally murdered all those people—"

Silence.

Everyone turned to look at him. Especially Felix, who side-eyed him so hard it could've sent him into another dimension.

"What?" Hyunjin blinked, looking around. His eyes widened. "You guys aren't seriously thinking I murdered them, right?"

"Maybe... a little bit," Changbin smirked.

"HYUNG!" Hyunjin whined, flailing his arms.

Lee Know, unfazed by the chaos, just sighed again and turned back to Y/n. "Probably not the best time, but..." He leaned in slightly, smirking. "That blush suits you way more than your usual deadpan look, you know."

I.N, who was sitting way too close for comfort, immediately slapped his hands over his ears. "Can you two please NOT flirt right next to me?!" he looked thoroughly traumatized.

"Is anyone actually focused here besides me and Seungmin?!" Bangchan rubbed his temples. "Look at him, he's the most seriou—"

"YES! I BEAT MY OWN HIGH SCORE! LET'S GOOO!" Seungmin suddenly cheered, nearly knocking over his drink.

Bangchan's eye twitched. "I THOROUGHLY REMEMBER you saying you were going to check the case status—WHY ARE YOU PLAYING VIDEO GAMES ON MY PHONE, YOU LITTLE—cough—" He stopped mid-rant when he noticed the entire cafe staring at him.

Seungmin, caught red-handed, smiled nervously before quickly bowing to the cafe owner and surrounding customers. "Uh... Sorry! This old man right here has some... nerve impulse problems that occasionally make him lose his mind. Apologies for the disturbance! We'll take our leave now."

Before Bangchan could combust, Seungmin threw some cash on the counter, grabbed his phone, and dragged the fuming leader (along with the rest of the members) out of the cafe.

Once outside, Lee Know smirked. "Well, that was fun."

"SHUT UP! AND KIM SEUNGMIN—YOU'RE DEAD!" Bangchan roared.

Seungmin casually stretched and snickered. "What I said wasn't entirely false, though. You are old."

With that, he took off running towards the hospital, knowing full well Bangchan was out for blood.

Bangchan sighed heavily, watching the menace sprint away. "Sometimes I wonder... What sins did I commit in my past life to end up as the leader of this circus?"

***

The nine top-tier agents froze in their tracks as they spotted their "boss"—Kwon-ii—standing in front of Min-jae's hospital ward, his arms crossed and fury practically radiating off him.

"Just where were you nine?" he demanded.

Silence.

Then, all heads turned to Han.

Han let out a nervous chuckle before blurting, "It totally wasn't me who dragged them to the café."

Bangchan groaned, facepalming so hard he might've given himself a concussion.

Kwon-ii exhaled heavily,. "Anyway," he continued, regaining his composure, "I've been having some recent thoughts, and I came up with an idea."

He paused for dramatic effect.

"Why don't we add another member to the team?" Kwon-ii finally announced. "You know—the more, the merrier!"

Before anyone could respond, he took a step aside.

A girl, dressed in a sleek black coat with a belt cinched perfectly at her waist, stepped forward. Her expression deadpanned, her presence commanding.

"Hello... everyone," she said in a cool, measured tone. "I'm Kwon No-vuel—or simply, you can call me NV."