The meeting room was quiet except for the faint clinking of a porcelain teacup against its saucer.

Colonel Yu, Karina's father, sat at the far end of the table, sipping tea with measured grace. Across from him was Colonel Park, skimming through the printed report Karina had submitted earlier.

Karina stood at attention near the table, her face neutral despite the tension threading the air. Her father's presence always made these debriefs feel less about the mission and more about personal scrutiny.

Colonel Park set the report down, his sharp eyes flicking to her. "Lieutenant Yu, your team has successfully retrieved critical intel. The hard drive contains encrypted communications and blueprints for what appears to be a weapons manufacturing facility. However, there's more to uncover."

Karina nodded. "I'll ensure my team is prepared for the next phase, sir."

Before Colonel Park could respond, Colonel Yu set his cup down with a quiet clink and interjected. "Preparedness isn't the issue. Discipline is. Your team's execution was...messy. How do you plan to address that?"

Karina's shoulders tensed but her voice remained steady. "The mission was completed without fatalities, sir. Adjustments have been made, and I'll ensure smoother operations going forward."

Colonel Yu leaned back, his gaze assessing. "Adjustments aren't enough in high-stakes operations. You'll need precision. Your subordinates seem..." He paused, searching for the right word. "...unrefined."

Karina resisted the urge to bristle. "They're capable. I trust them."

Colonel Park, sensing the shift in tone, cleared his throat. "Lieutenant, we'll need you and your team to follow up once we pinpoint the facility's location. Until then, focus on recuperation and training."

"Yes, sir." Karina saluted, her father's eyes following her as she exited.

---

Winter sat cross-legged on the couch, her arms crossed as she glared at Ningning, who was sprawled on the other end, lazily spinning a screwdriver between her fingers.

"You could've helped carry the bags, you know," Winter muttered.

Ningning shrugged, her grin unapologetic. "You were doing fine. Didn't want to interrupt your little workout."

Yuna, propped up in bed with a tray of soup in her lap, laughed softly. "You're terrible, Ning."

"Terrible? Nah, I'm efficient," Ningning quipped, raising an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, you two wouldn't survive five minutes without me hacking into everything from door locks to camera feeds. Admit it, I'm the MVP of this team."

Winter rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. What did you even do before this? Hack vending machines for free snacks?"

"Funny you say that," Ningning replied, smirking. "I actually did, once. Back in high school. Parents were furious. But hey, a girl's gotta eat."

Yuna chuckled, her voice light despite the bandage on her forehead. "Ningning, you're something else."

"Something amazing," Ningning corrected, twirling the screwdriver theatrically before tossing it onto the table. "For real, though, my parents thought sending me here would 'build character.' Joke's on them-I'm building an empire of hacked systems and bad jokes."

Winter gave her a flat look. "You love fighting more than tech, don't you?"

"Maybe," Ningning admitted, leaning back. "Hacking's fun, but punching someone who deserves it? Even better."

Yuna smirked. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"Smart girl," Ningning said with a wink.

The sound of the front door opening snapped Winter's attention away from Ningning's antics. Karina stepped inside, her expression as unreadable as ever. Her sharp gaze swept over the room, landing on Yuna.

"Status?" Karina asked.

Yuna gave her a thumbs-up, her grin still intact. "Still breathing."

Karina nodded, glancing briefly at Ningning and Winter. "The Colonel's reviewing the data. We'll have our next mission soon. Until then, train and rest."

As Karina turned to leave, Winter muttered under her breath, "Of course, she gets to give orders and walk away."

Karina paused, looking over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow. "Something to say, Private?"

Winter stiffened. "No, ma'am."

Ningning snorted, and Karina gave her a long look before heading down the hall.

When the door to Karina's room clicked shut, Ningning leaned toward Winter with a smirk. "You're gonna get yourself killed one day."

"Maybe," Winter replied, flopping back onto the couch. "But not today."

_

The crisp crack of gunfire echoed through the empty shooting range, the rhythmic sound punctuating Winter's focused movements. She adjusted her grip slightly, took a breath, and pulled the trigger. Her shots landed in a tight cluster on the paper target-a near-perfect score.

Ningning lounged nearby, sprawled across a bench, her fingers flying across her phone. Occasionally, she'd glance up at Winter and toss out a sarcastic comment. "You know, you're gonna scare the next guy who tries to ask you out with all this sniper energy."

Winter ignored her, loading another magazine with practiced efficiency. "Good," she muttered.

In the corner, Yuna stretched lazily on her cot, already recovered but clearly milking her injury for all it was worth. "Don't let me stop you from being a workaholic, Winter," she teased, sipping on her water bottle like a queen overseeing her domain.

Winter rolled her eyes but didn't respond. Her focus snapped back to the target. She wasn't shooting paper targets anymore in her mind-she was seeing the face of the man from the event, the one in the tailor suit who exchanged the briefcase. With each pull of the trigger, she imagined putting an end to the smug tilt of his head.

The slide of her pistol locked back, signaling an empty magazine. Winter exhaled sharply, shaking out her arms before turning to reload.

A shadow loomed over her.

Karina stood there, her expression unreadable, with her own pistol in hand. Without a word, she stepped into the booth next to Winter, loaded her weapon, and began firing.

Winter glanced at Karina's target when she finished. The hits were solid-center mass-but none were perfectly dead-center like hers.

Karina's lips pressed into a thin line as she reloaded. She was precise, her stance textbook, but Winter could sense the extra tension in her movements. Karina had been like this for two days now-since her meeting with Colonel Park and Colonel Yu. Always on edge, always grumpy.

Winter sighed, tossing her own empty target to the side. "Alright, what's eating you?"

Karina didn't look at her. "Focus on your own skills, Private."

Winter bristled at the sharpness of the response but chose to ignore it. Instead, she plucked Karina's used target off the clip and studied it. Her fingers tapped thoughtfully against the paper before she spoke again.

"You're too stiff," Winter said bluntly, holding up the target.

Karina's head snapped toward her, her gaze sharp. "Excuse me?"

"You're overcompensating. Your stance is too rigid, and you're aiming like it's a drill, not a real situation. You're thinking too much." Winter pointed to the slight deviation in Karina's grouping. "Your shots are all strong, but if you'd relax your shoulders more and adjust your breathing, you'd hit dead-center."

For a moment, Karina stared at her, her expression unreadable. Winter expected an explosion, maybe a cold dismissal, but instead, Karina's jaw tightened.

"Do you think I need advice from you?" Karina's tone was low, even, and edged with something Winter couldn't quite place.

Winter shrugged, stepping aside and gesturing to the booth. "Try it. Or don't. I'm just saying."

Karina stood there, tense and unmoving, before finally stepping back into the booth. She adjusted her stance, the faintest shift in her shoulders, and fired again.

This time, her shots were tighter, closer to the bullseye. Not perfect, but undeniably better.

Karina lowered her weapon, staring at the target. Winter smirked, folding her arms. "You're welcome."

Karina turned to her, her expression still cool, but there was a flicker of acknowledgment in her eyes. "Don't get cocky, Private."

Winter grinned, stepping back to her booth. "Too late."

As Karina reloaded, her mind turned over the interaction. It wasn't that she doubted her own skills-she knew she was capable-but something about Winter's effortless precision rubbed her the wrong way. She couldn't decide if it was admiration or irritation.

Winter, meanwhile, smirked to herself. She wasn't about to let Karina forget that, at least in this area, she had the upper hand.