The girls gathered around the dinner table, plates of food were passed around, and everyone dug in with enthusiasm. But unlike the lunch when Y/n had scarfed down her meal at lightning speed to avoid Minji, this time she sat in a daze, barely touching her food.
Hanni, who sat beside her, noticed first and nudged Haerin. "Is Y/n okay? She's been staring at her spoon for a full five minutes now."
Haerin leaned over slightly to get a look at Y/n, who seemed to be lost in thought, her fork hovering in midair. "Y/n?" Haerin called out softly, waving a hand in front of her face. "Earth to Y/n?"
A small smile tugging at Minji's lips. She knew exactly what was on Y/n's mind. After all, their sparring session earlier had left things... unresolved. The memory of Minji falling on top of her and that accidental confession had clearly shaken Y/n more than expected.
Y/n blinked, snapping back to reality. "Huh? What?"
"You've been spacing out for a while now. Is everything okay?" Danielle giggled from her seat.
Y/n quickly straightened up, trying to play it cool. "Oh yeah, yeah. I'm fine! Just, uh... thinking about the mission," she blurted out, but her voice lacked its usual confidence. The girls glanced at each other, confused.
"Sure, it's about the mission," Haerin teased, shooting Minji a knowing look, while the other didn't realize. After all, there's no way that no one knew about this at all.
Hanni, oblivious to the tension earlier, grinned and chimed in. "Must be some mission if it's got you daydreaming like that."
Y/n's face turned a shade of pink, her eyes darting toward Minji, who remained calm, still wearing that soft, teasing smile. Y/n quickly looked away, focusing intently on her plate, stabbing her food a little too forcefully.
"So," Minji spoke up casually, breaking the tension, "how's the food, Y/n? You haven't had much of it yet."
Y/n coughed, trying to cover up her nerves. "Uh, it's... good! Really good. Just... saving my appetite, you know?"
The rest of the girls couldn't hold back their laughter, and Minji's smile grew wider. "Well, don't save it too much," she said, her tone light but with an underlying hint that only Y/n seemed to catch.
Y/n quickly shoved a forkful of food into her mouth, hoping to distract herself from the flutter in her chest. But her mind was racing, replaying every detail of their earlier encounter. How Minji had looked at her, the way she'd asked about Y/n's feelings, it was all too much.
As the dinner went on, Y/n stayed mostly quiet, her thoughts a jumbled mess. It seemed that tonight, Minji wasn't the only thing on the menu, so were her feelings, and she was doing her best not to choke on them in front of everyone.
-
The mood shifted slightly when Y/n cleared her throat at the end of their dinner, drawing everyone's attention. She hesitated for a moment before speaking, "So, I need to tell you guys something."
The girls turned toward her, curious. Y/n took a deep breath, trying to sound nonchalant. "I'll be heading out tonight. For the mission."
Hanni sat up straighter, eyebrows furrowing. "Tonight? That fast?"
Y/n smiled softly, trying to ease the tension. "Yeah, don't worry. It's not that critical. We're just going to discover the base at Suto Coast. After that, we'll come back with reinforcements."
The room was silent for a moment. Though she tried to reassure them, the idea of her leaving in the middle of the night still worried her friends.
"You better be careful out there," Hyein said, her voice serious, though there was an underlying faith in Y/n's abilities.
Haerin nodded in agreement. "And come back in one piece, yeah?"
"You've got this, Y/n. Just do your thing, and we'll be here waiting with snacks when you get back." Danielle tried to lighten the mood.
Y/n chuckled softly, appreciating their support. "Thanks, guys. I promise I'll be fine. It's just an inspection mission."
But despite her calm tone, her gaze flickered toward Minji, who had been unusually quiet. Y/n's heart raced as she met Minji's eyes. She wasn't expecting anything dramatic, but when Minji stood up and walked over to her side of the table, Y/n couldn't help but hold her breath.
Minji placed a hand on Y/n's shoulder, her expression gentle but firm. "Just... promise me you'll come back safe."
Y/n felt a warm surge in her chest at Minji's words, but she kept her expression steady. "I will. I'll be back before you know it."
As the conversation shifted back to lighter topics, Minji gave Y/n's shoulder a light squeeze before returning to her seat. Y/n felt an odd mix of nerves and warmth, knowing that no matter what happened tonight, she always had somewhere to go back for. Deep down, Y/n knew this mission might have more challenges than expected, but at least she had them behind her.
-
The Elites gathered in the strategic room once more, the atmosphere charged with anticipation as they finalized the plan. Soobin stood by the large map, marking key points along the route to Suto Coast, while the rest of the team listened intently.
"We're going to make a slight modification to our approach," Soobin began. "Since having too many new workers at once will draw suspicion, only one of us will infiltrate as a new crew member, Kai."
Kai nodded, "I'll blend in easily. I've already got the look of someone who's been at sea for too long," he joked, earning a chuckle from the others.
Soobin smirked but quickly continued, "The rest of us will be hidden in the cargo. According to the real crew, no one inspects the goods when they're received. They don't even bother opening the crates."
Chaewon crossed her arms, her brow furrowed in thought. "So, once we're delivered to the base, we'll quietly get out and start our investigation from there."
"Exactly," Soobin confirmed. "Kai, you just have to make sure that the cargo with us inside makes it to their base without any issues. After that, shift into your bird form and tail the logistics workers discreetly. We'll use that as our opportunity to locate their base of operations."
"No problem. I'll signal as soon as I find anything suspicious, and the rest of you can move accordingly."
"You're lucky, Kai. We'll be sitting comfortably in the cargo while you'll be stuck pretending to be a deckhand."
Kai rolled his eyes playfully. "Comfortable? You'll be packed in crates like sardines. Not exactly luxury accommodations."
The team shared a brief laugh. How could they still joke around with another big mission right ahead of them.
Soobin gave a final glance at the map before looking up at his team. "Alright, we have the plan. We know the risks, and we're ready. Let's make sure we get in and out without raising any alarms."
The Elites nodded in unison, ready to execute their mission.