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youngkwan meeting room saturday, august 30th 2018 — 0900 hours.
⌬ — THE ROOM WAS RULED BY SILENCE.
Nothing more than short breaths and the occasional keyboard click cracked at the barrier it had carefully constructed, and no one dared oppose its reign.
The fair-sized oak-paneled haven nestled away in the teacher's wing was usually devoid of human presence, but that day each leather-backed office chair seated 1 of 10 of South Korea's greatest agents. A tense ambiance permeated the air, silence taking its dictatorship to another level as they all exchanged solemn eye contact. Perhaps it was destined to remain that way.
Or not. The tyrant was dethroned as headmistress HWANG stood up from her spot at the head of the table, causing everyone else to direct their gaze to her own exasperated stare. She was tired, they all were. Not one of them had had a good night's sleep in days, not after the NIS's debriefing.
Not after hearing what North Korea had planned.
"Are we really sending our girls to rectify a situation this delicate, they're only students," PROFESSOR HAN sighed, an audible nervous edge to her voice.
"They're ready. They have to be," PROFESSOR LEE interrupted, his acerbic tone cutting through the silence that survived after her words. It was dead now. He didn't care to look up, absentmindedly toying with the minuscule blade he seemed to carry everywhere, and no one spared a second glance.
"JUNHEE is right, it's not like we have a choice anyway. They could gain access to our security agencies' databases if they tried. Any registered agent trying to enter the country would be imprisoned on sight and you know it," HEADMISTRESS HWANG cut in, her demeanor far more accommodating than that of Youngkwan's youngest professor, though just as tense.
At her words, everyone exchanged uneasy glances. She was right, the only reason they had resorted to choosing mere students was that they couldn't risk attempting to send full clearance agents out, they would be caught before they could even take one step out of the plane and hauled away god knows where.
"This is no easy decision," she continued, regarding her fellow agents, "but we will have to select 9 of our best and brightest in order to best ensure a high success rate. We've already reached out to Hwanggeum, and they've been so generous as to select 9 of their own boys to undertake the mission."
Everyone in the room knew better than anyone that Hwanggeum was insanely secretive and withdrawn from the agency network, which only seems to make the situation more dire as they had agreed to assist. The severity of HEADMISTRESS HWANG's words had finally set in, even JUNHEE peered away from his blade.
"The boys will be here in 2 weeks' time, but the girls must not know of anything until their arrival. Until then we keep quiet on the subject and ensure the true nature of their presence will not be disclosed to students who weren't selected. VICTORIA and JOOHYUN graciously worked together to formulate cover stories for their visit, and I expect you all to follow along accordingly," she gestured to the two women who held up a stack of paperwork with small smiles. It was nice to be back in the game after simply being teachers for what felt like ages.
"I don't have to tell you that this school year will be unlike any other. The 9 we select must be able to withstand immense pressure and prove that they are ready to partake in Obsidian, and it's our job to train them and the boys to the best of our abilities. The fate of the country is resting on their shoulders, failure isn't an option," HEADMISTRESS HWANG finished, heavy words reverberating across the room and fading into thin air.
The stakes were high, each of them knew it as they glanced around at one another, a silent agreement that they would do all in their power to prepare the students. For once, they weren't the ones jumping into action, all they could do was sit back and watch in agony.
The headmistress sat down once again, regarding her fellow agents as equals. They were in this together, even little JUNHEE and the eccentric BAEKHYUN. JINAHsat up a little straighter, JOOHYUN and VICTORIA placed the cover story files to the side. MINSEOK didn't protest as the meeting dragged on, and HYOJOO wasn't seething at his mere existence beside her. Even JOONGI and JUNMYEON, who were normally as carefree as can be, had solemn expressions.
They were ready, at least they hoped they were. No, they had to be.
"With all that said, bring forth your recommendations, this might take a while."
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i was gonna animate the edit but i got too lazy im sry lmao (expect nicer ones later on), but i hope this grants further insight into the situation! xx lar
