7/31, Ryujin POV

Practice was coming to a close, and I was headed back to our dorm room. Supposedly. Yeji unnie and I were going to in a few hours head back to the mafia headquarters for some business talk. And training. And recruitment. And who knows what. Some crazy plan to overthrow the Noctavrynth and Taewon. BET. I was lost in my train of thought, until my phone buzzed.

✨ SLAY ✨

Jisung

What is this chat

Lee Know

You know what

Jisung

No I don't know... heh.

Jiyoung

Oh gawd

Yeji

IK WHAT IT IS!

Jisung

Mind explaining, por favor?

Yeji

Nope can't. It's the...thing that we can't tell anyone, yk?

Hyunjin

Yeji-ah, no point of trying to explain to him lol

Me

hiii guys

Chaeryeong

RYUJINNIEEEEE!

Lee Know

Chan, u there?

Chan

Yep

Ji-Eun

alr team meet at our usual spot around 5:30 with all of your members, except for u Ji

Jiyoung

ok....can I bring kims tho

Chan

Sure

Felix

can I bring brownies

Hyunjin

YEAH HIS BROWNIES ARE ACTUALLY GOOD

Jisung

calm down...we had them yesterday hyung

Felix

AHEM MY BROWNIES ARE AMAZING!

Me

sigh...and the chaos ensues

Jiyoung

Lee Know

*no comment*

Hyunjin

jagiiiiii~ <3

Jisung

Respectfull stfu

Lee Know

Can I slap chan's ass

Yeji

NO

Ji-Eun

NO

Jiyoung

NO

Chaeryeong

NOOOO

Felix

NO

Chan

NO MY ASS NEEDS SAVING

Me

BWAHAHAHAHAHA

- - -

And it was 5:00, while our whole group was going to the headquarters.

"Where are we going, Ryujin? Why won't you tell us anythinnngggg!" Yuna whined, as she picked at her nails. The atmosphere was almost palpable, and I wanted to tell her where we are going. Yuna and Lia would just have to wait a few hours.

"You'll find out, buddy. RYUJIN YOU MISSED THE TURN!" Yeji yelled.

"DID NOT!" I retorted, slamming the honk and breaks as a dumbass driver did the weirdest u-turn i had seen in my whole life.

"DID!"

"DID NOT! YEJI, YOU FOCUS ON THE OTHER THINGS WHILE I DRIVE!" We finally arrived, our boots clacking on the smooth, fancy marble flooring.

"oh my god, this is so fancy! Why didn't you tell us, Yeji?" Lia asked, with pure awe and a slight sparkle in her eyes. Because it's not as nice as it seems, I thought.

"You'll see," she muttered as we entered the meeting room. We were greeted by Sakura, and some of her crew, Aespa, Tzuyu, Momo, Eunwoo, Ji-Eun, Jiyoung, Kimura, and Lee Know.

"Enhypen is joining us too," Lee Know said as he gestured for us five to take a seat. "My members better show up soon." 

"I'm sure they will," I smiled, and placed my bag on the table. 

"We're HERE~!" Felix yelled as he came skipping towards the room. 

"Felix! Stop being crazy!" Hyunjin said, elbowing his rib cage. Who's bright idea was to have all of Stray Kids here. Certainly not mine!

"Ok, now we wait. Sakura, when is Kazuha coming?" Jiyoung asked.

"In another five minutes I think," she smiled, looking through a few documents.

"Uh we're here~ Jiyoung? OMG JIYOUNGIE IS HERE! JAY HYUNG! SUNOO! LOOK WHO IS HERE!" Jake yelled and started running towards her direction. Oh mah gawd.

"Hiiii! Ack, Jake, don't suffocate me! JAKE!" she exasperated as her face showcased her need of air. I laughed, as her face was so funny.

"Ah, Jiji, you're so funny," I laughed. As everyone got settled down, Chan was the first one to get up.

"We've called you here because the mafia world will be in danger, any week from now. Without you, we would collapse. We can't afford that. Not again. We all know all of you deeply care for Jiyoung, and we want you to help us fight away people who've hurt her family, and friends," Chan explained, his tone firm. 

Lee Know crossed his arms and leaned forward. "This isn't just about Jiyoung, though. It's about all of us. If they succeed, they won't stop at one family. The Noctavrynth are like parasites—once they sink their claws in, they spread. We have to be the ones to stop them first."

Yeji nodded, her voice steady. "And that means we need a plan. A solid one. No reckless moves, no unnecessary risks. We win this by being smarter, not just stronger."

"So, let's start by assigning positions to everyone in this new...army. So, let's start with the most experienced ones and then go down from there," Ji-Eun warmly smiled, writing everyone's names onto the board. Here's what it looked like:

Bosses (all-rounders) : Lee Minho, Lee Ji-Eun, Lee Jiyoung, Hwang Yeji, Hwang Hyunjin, Bang Christopher Chan, Yu Karina

Organizers: Sakura Miyawaki, Kim Chaewon, Shin Ryujin, Lee Felix, Hirai Momo, Yang Jungwon, Kim Winter

Defense: Han Jisung, Park Sunghoon, Shin Yuna, Lee Chaeryeong, Sim Jake, Hong Eunchae, Uchinaga Giselle

Offense: Nakamura Kazuha, Kim Seungmin, Seo Changbin, Choi Lia, Lee Heeseung, Park Jay, Chou Tzuyu, Yang Jeongin

Medical: Cha Eunwoo, Huh Yunjin, Nishimura Ni-ki, Inoue Kimura, Kim Sunoo, Ning Ning

"So. Many. People..." Ning Ning whispered, shaking her head.

"I know...How am I supposed to remember everyone in my position group?!" Giselle laughed.

"Eh, roll with the flow~" Karina shrugged, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. 

"Ok, that's it! Are we missing anyone?" Jiyoung inquired. No one raised their hands.

"Ok, I think we should assign leaders to each area so that they can control training, what do you think?" Ji-Eun inquired.

"Yeah, sounds good," Hyunjin nodded. Soon, names for each group were circled. Ji-Eun, Sakura, Chaeryeong, Seungmin, and Eunwoo. 

"Ok, dismissed. All leaders should take their...crew to train. First do your designated training, then move onto another skill," Ji-Eun yelled, and everyone dispersed into their respective areas. I watched as everyone scattered, my feet shifting slightly. I wasn't a leader, but I knew I'd probably end up as a co-leader with Momo. Our previous training together made it an easy choice. I glanced over at Sakura, already confidently organizing her team. She had that natural leadership vibe—she was definitely made for it.

I let out a small breath. I didn't need the pressure of being in charge. I'd follow orders, keep the energy up, and help however I could. For now, it was about getting through the training, one step at a time.

"Guys! Follow me!" Sakura called, "Momo, Ryujin, you'll help me to guide trainings, alright?" 

"Ok, Kkura," I smiled as the three of us stood in the front of the room. 

"So, all of you, training will start with basic physical training, like navigating obstacles, disarming, basic combat, and stamina," Sakura instructed.

"So since most of you already know martial arts like taekwondo, I don't think we need to do that much training there...but we definitely will need to learn how to disarm the opponent. So,"Sakura continued, scanning the room, "we'll start with the basics—grip breaks, pressure points, and leverage techniques."

I leaned forward, arms crossed. Time to explain. "And if that doesn't work, you go for the joints. Fast and efficient. A locked wrist, twisted elbow, or kicked-out knee will make them drop their weapon before they even realize what happened."

Sakura motioned me to stand in front of her, holding a fake knife. "Alright, watch closely," she instructed. "Ryujin's the attacker, and I'm the one being threatened."

I stepped forward swiftly, pointing the plastic knife at Sakura's rib cage. "Your first instinct might be to back away, but that gives the opponent control of your actions and how you defend yourself," Sakura said. "Instead, watch what I do."

In one swift motion, she gripped my wrist, twisted it outward, and used her other hand to push against my elbow, forcing me to drop the knife. Within seconds, my wrist was locked behind my back. Just this time, I was playing easy so she could demonstrate. Next time, I won't be that easy.

Momo clapped her hands together. "Okay, let's break this down. First, Sakura redirected the attack instead of resisting it head-on. She grabbed Ryujin's wrist and twisted it towards the thumb, which is the weakest part of the grip. Then, she applied pressure on the elbow joint, which naturally makes the arm bend and lose strength. The goal is to neutralize the attacker fast, before they can react."

I smirked as she shook out her wrist. It kind of did hurt. "And if they don't drop the weapon immediately, go for the wrist again or kick their knee out. The key is control."

Sakura nodded. "Now, pair up and practice. If you hesitate, your opponent wins. Please don't go visiting the medical unit just yet," Soon, Chaewon and Winter were partnered, alongside Jungwon and Felix. With Jungwon and Felix already having a really good background in taekwondo, they were starting off strong. On the other hand, Chaewon and Winter seemed to be having more difficulty. Time to step in. 

"Wonnie! No, move your wrist like this, instead of that way," Sakura explained, moving her wrist.

"Me?" Jungwon asked, looking at Sakura.

"No, not you. Sorry, I meant Chaewon... ohhh wait Jungwon...Chaewon..OOOPS SHOOT I can't call Chaewon 'Wonnie' here... hah," Sakura laughed, as she continued to adjust her wrist.

"And, you, Winter, should have your wrist more out so that you can attack Chaewon more easily," I explained, gently moving her wrist.

"Ohhhhhh ok," she smiled as they continued to attack each other. It was better than before, at least.

- - -

"And for the hardest part of training for today, we will start Code-Drone Warfare! This is by far the most intense thing for today, but extremely important," Momo explained. 

"Basically, you have to decode a message or sequence of some sort, and it unlocks a drone in a time limit. If you fail to complete it during the time limit, you would have to deactivate the drone or it starts tracking and hunting your information down. So, you could think of it as a harder or more pressured escape room," Sakura said.

"So, let's start here. We will be helping you in the harder parts of the mission so you can understand what to do. Ready?" Momo asked, unlocking a door that lead to a tech-savvy room filled with computers, locks, and intricate things that even myself cannot comprehend. Some genius must've created this place. 

"Alright, focus! Time starts now!" Sakura shouted, slamming her hand on the button.

I leaned against the wall, watching the rookies dive into the puzzle. Jungwon was sweating, clearly freaking out. "You got this, just breathe!" I called out, trying to keep things light.

"RYUJIN!" Momo snapped, glaring.

I shrugged, unfazed. "Gotta keep the energy up!" I shot a smirk at Chaewon, who rolled her eyes.

Sakura moved swiftly, guiding the team as they worked on the sequence. I spotted a few of the rookies struggling and rushed over, tapping a few keys to speed things along.

Jungwon yelped, "It's not working!"

I grabbed his hand and pressed a few buttons. "Focus, rook. You've got two minutes left."

"Time's ticking!" I yelled, feeling the pressure rise in the air as the drones activated.

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hahah sry for making this chapter kinda long. Hope ya enjoyed it! Double update, perhaps? ;-)