ILLEGAL ° nct dream, wayv + srg

Chapter Nine: Four Tasks for Four Units

Dedicated to:
stfuhyuck weirdlyweirdd
njisjaejae

~*~*~*~*~

Yesterday passed by like a blur and now, it was time to spend their first morning with the X-Force.

Never did anyone expect they would arrive at this point. Before, they were only enemies fighting for their different standpoints. Now, they were about to work together for the same objective.

It would've been fine if it wasn't about how wrong the timing was. Jeno and Mark had other personal reasons for doing this. Koeun was still trying to process the fact that Yeri was alive. Both groups never had a proper closure before this. It felt forced for everyone.

Around 8:21 in the morning, with the sun seeping through the windows, the Elites was already in their gray-walled training room. The other team hadn't arrived yet, and while waiting for them, the Elites became immersed in their thoughts.

Hendery still found it hard to believe that on this day, he would be working with another hacker— the hacker that knocked him out before. He was unsure of what to feel; to be honored or to let his pride get ahead of him.

"Hey," Hina paused from her work to see Yangyang arriving beside her. "don't forget about this." Looking at his palm, she found her earpiece on it.

Smiling at her foolishness, Hina took it. "Thanks."

As for these two, they were thinking about the same person— Jaemin. As soon as Yangyang heard about the collaboration, he knew it'd be hard for him to work with the boy. After all, he was the reason behind Hina's unconsciousness after the fight.

Hina, on the other hand, still remembered their fight vividly, especially when she was about to black out. She knew she didn't immediately hit the floor during that moment, but what made her puzzled was why Jaemin would do it.

It seemed like she was in need of answers too.

Just then, they heard the sound of the door open before several scraping of footsteps. "Agents." The Elites saw Chief Moon walking in along with the X-Force.

"Good morning, sir." They greeted him. Already at this time, Koeun found herself staring at Mark. He was looking more orderly than yesterday, as his face seemed to glow somewhat brighter. Still, it didn't change the fact he was still looking rather cold.

When will he stop being cold?

Seeing that they were ready, Chief Moon was pleased as he made his way in front. "I see that you've already prepared. Good timing."

The X-Force kept a fair distance between them and the other group as they faced the chief. Since Koeun was closest to them, Renjun made sure to stand by her. "Hey."

"Renjun." The girl addressed him with a smile.

"It's been a while since we got to talk. How are you?" He asked while remaining his look straight ahead.

Koeun opened her mouth but closed it again. How am I, really? "I'm doing fine." She settled on that answer.

"That's good. You should be." Renjun finally glanced at her, returning an eye-smile behind his specs. "We get to work again as a team."

His words made her smile widen. She would've loved the sound of it if it wasn't for the real reason why Mark was willing to do this.

Their conversation was cut short since the chief began to talk. "Alright, since everyone is here and ready, I will be direct to the point." He began. "Today, you'll be working as a whole team. No Elites. No X-Force. But I will still separate you into units."