(a/n: Happy New Year y'all. The first chapter of the new year! We are a chapter or two away from the actual heist so I'm super excited and I've been bulldozing through it as fast as I can. I hope you are enjoying the stage-setting cause everything circles back and around (at least I try to). One more week til I have to return to college. So I hope I can get through the heist and the book cause I have so many other story ideas that I want to write. I'll probably start a book soon with ideas that I want to begin after finishing this book. The plan is each idea/concept will be posted as a chapter and I'll put some thoughts and ideas into there, maybe a synopsis. I pray that no one copies my ideas or at least credits me for inspiring their idea. Alright, enough rambling. Enjoy this chapter and continue to support this story. Thank you, everyone, who reads this!
Edit: I changed my mind. I'll be keeping these ideas to myself. 🙃 Hopefully, they'll see the light of day.)
"Is it true that you pulled off the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist in 1990?"
Dahyun sat in a square outside YGM Corps on a metal mesh chair with Rosé, sipping on a cup of coffee. Tinted sunglasses sat on her face, emphasizing the overwhelming paleness of her skin.
"The work of our predecessors, but a successful job nonetheless," answered Rosé. Her voice echoed twice in Dahyun's head: once in real-time, twice through her earpiece feed. The dimming light from the oncoming sunset glinted off Dahyun's glasses.
"And the faked death from jumping off the bridge at Neuschwanstein Castle?" asked Dahyun.
"Ah, that was me," piped up V from the mic. "Coroners are so easy to bribe these days."
V knelt on the roof of a high riser opposite to the YGM skyscraper with Jennie, who stared unenthusiastically down at the bustling crowds. Binoculars raised, V looked down at the two women in the square.
"Say hi, sweetie."
Without turning around, Rosé responded, raising two fingers in a V shape.
"Focus, please," asked Y/N. "We're trying to run reconnaissance here."
Stationed a couple of blocks from the corporations, Y/N stood hunched over a seated Jeongyeon in her tight van, monitoring multiple security feeds from her laptop screen.
"Jeongyeon, any chatter on their frequencies?"
"Nothing so far," responded Jeongyeon. "But I do have Yoongi's assistant walking out right now..."
"Good, keep an eye on the feed," instructed Y/N as he leaned back against the side of the car. "Rosé, I'd like you to run point on the assistant. Lift anything you might find important. Dahyun, go with her but only to back her play. "
As Rosé stood up, Dahyun's face dropped into a pouty frown.
"Why does she get to do it?" whined Dahyun.
"She has experience. Let the professionals do their work."
With Dahyun steadily shuffling behind, Rosé walked up to the assistant, who was looking down busily at her phone and took a tourist map from her pocket.
"Excuse me, Ms..." Rosé quickly glanced down at the assistant's metallic name tag above her chest pocket. "...Suhyun."
The assistant looked up and stared at her, her eyes darting between her phone and Rosé.
"I'm really sorry. I'm in a bit of a rush," she said as she tried to push past Rosé.
"Oh, this shouldn't take long." Rosé opened and raised the map in front of Suhyun.
"Hold right there for me please." Rosé gestured to the left side of the map while holding the opposing end.
"I'm a little lost. " With her free hand, Rosé pointed at another spot on the map. "I'm trying to get here."
"Oh, you're not too far away..."
As Suhyun orchestrated a route to Rosé's made-up destination, her dexterous fingers swiftly slipped into the assistant's pockets, pulling items out and passing them back to Dahyun, occasionally nudging into Suhyun's side to hide the slight changes of weight in her jacket.
"Roughly around this point, you only need to remember to change subway tracks, got it?" asked Suhyun, innocently staring up at Rosé.
"Ye-yeah, I think so," huffed Rosé. "God, I hate maps."
Suhyun chuckled.
"That's why I use my phone," laughed Suhyun, as she glanced at the watch on her wrist. "Ah, my boyfriend is waiting for me. I need to go now."
With two hands, Rosé grabbed her hand and shook it.
"Thank you so much for your help."
"No problem at all. I hope you make it in one piece," joked Suhyun as she began to walk down the street. "Have a good day."
"You too." Rosé turned and walked away.
"Nice lift, Rosé," observed Y/N. "Swap out with Jennie."
"I feel a little guilty taking so much from such a nice girl." Rosé looked down at her wrist at a familiar-looking watch. "It looks so much better on me though."
From far away, Jennie scoffed and walked to the nearby fire escape.
"This is so boring," commented Jennie, running her slender fingers through her hair. "When do I get to punch someone?"
"In due time," responded Y/N. "Not now, but perhaps later." He shifted his attention to the mildly-irritated Dahyun.
"Dahyun, now it's your turn."
The expression on her face melted away, replaced by a goofy grin. She unloaded the stolen contents onto Rosé. "What do I need to do?"
"Take a stroll and report security precautions."
As Dahyun crossed the street to the building, she exhaled as she tucked away the sunglasses onto the neck of her shirt. She reached into her pocket and unfolded a black headband from her pocket, straightening the blue bow that sat on top into two almost bunny-like ears.
"Dahyun, are you serious?" asked V from his aerial view.
"What?" asked Dahyun innocently. "It's cute."
She walked into the bustling lobby and scanned her surroundings. Her eyes glossed over everything that fell before her gaze, analyzing every kiosk and door, every little thing that she could use to her advantage. No detail escaped her sight.
"Locked turnstiles. Looks like a key card is required," she reported. "Security located at the front desk right in front of turnstiles. It's really busy right now. Lots of people are moving about so you might be able to slip in unnoticed."
Y/N stood up and stepped out of the van, staring at a concrete wall.
"Cameras?"
She spun around.
"Eight."
"There's no way that you counted that fast," asked Jeongyeon, attempting to manually count each lobby camera thought her security feed.
"I don't really know how to explain it." Dahyun bit on her bottom lip. "You know that feeling when it's like someone's looking over your shoulder but there's no one there. It's like that. I can kinda feel when I'm being watched and from where."
She shrugged. "It's like my special superpower."
"Looks good, Dahyun. Now get out of there." Y/N was back in the van looking back at the security feed with Jeongyeon. "Circle around the back and check for anything else before rendezvousing with V."
Dahyun gave a slight nod and turned to walk out of the building. Much to her surprise, a man stood behind her and accidentally bumped her to the ground.
"I'm so sorry, miss," said the man. "I wasn't looking where I was going. That was my fault."
"Don't worry," she said, rubbing her sore bottom. "I wasn't looking where I was going too." The man extended his hand to help her up. He froze.
"Oh, wow," he chuckled. "Um, sorry. Has this happened to you before?"
Dahyun raised an eyebrow.
"Getting knocked down by someone? Uh, I guess..."
The man grabbed her hands and helped her up.
"Apologies, I'm Jimin, general consultant to the CEO. I'm also on the board as well," he said. "Would you care to go out with me sometime? For dinner, I mean?"
Dahyun's face flushed a light red color.
"Me?" she asked confused.
"Dahyun, ditch him," ordered Y/N. "You need to get out now!"
Dahyun's face slowly curved into a slight smile.
"Aw, I'm flattered." The smile grew wider. "I'd love to."
Jeongyeon cocked her eyebrows. "Dahyun, what does that mean?"
Jimin responded with a cheeky smile.
"Great," he said. "Could I get your number?"
"Of course," replied Dahyun.
As she typed her number into his phone, Jeongyeon and Y/N observed her through the security feed, squinting in disbelief.
"Pick you up at 7:30?" asked Jimin.
"Uh, Raincheck but I'll let you know when I'm available."
Jimin smiled at her, face flushed tomato red.
"I look forward to it. Have a good day."
Jimin walked past the turnstiles and stood in front of the elevator, turning once more to look at Dahyun. She sent a small wave at him, to which a shy smile snuck onto his face.
Y/N couldn't take it anymore. As she walked out of the building, the comms were filled with rage.
"Dahyun, do you know what you have done?"
Dahyun quickly scuttled across the road to the table Jennie was now sitting at.
"Uh. I just found my way in?"
"Your way in? You just told him who you are!" exclaimed Y/N.
"Well, I never actually told him my name," clarified Dahyun.
"But you gave him your number."
"Burner phone..."
"That doesn't matter! The point is you just revealed yourself to the enemy, even worse someone close to Yoongi."
"But all he has is my face. He has no way to find me and he could be used in our plans to help at least one of us infiltrate."
Y/N sighed with a large huff. "All he needs is your face. Background research, sketch artist, there are countless things one can find solely using the memory of a face."
"Rule #3: make sure the man with the plan knows what's going down," reminded Jeongyeon.
"So what is the plan?" asked Dahyun. "What is plan A?"
"Don't challenge me," exclaimed Y/N.
"I'm not," countered Dahyun. "What is our current point of entry?"
Slightly enraged, Y/N stared down from his building with a sour expression on his face.
"Rooftops," he said. "Quiet and unnoticed infiltration led by Pisces."
"Quiet and unnoticed is fine if you're a thief. They find entrances and sneak in from God knows where. I was sure con artists make their own."
Y/N's sour face stayed.
"Fine. I'll give you that much. But now you have placed me in a very irritating situation, where I have to now rethink a separate entry plan for you and alternative plans where you are disconnected from the team."
Dahyun was silent. She hadn't thought that far ahead.
"It's fine. Just think about it more next time," said Y/N with a large huff. He rubbed his forehead with his thumbs, soothing the migraine that ravaged his brain. "I might know a couple of ways to utilize your new 'boyfriend' in our plans."
"But for now, everyone, meet at the rendezvous. Jeongyeon, set off the alarm in the back door," Y/N commanded as he buckled himself into the driver's seat of the van.
As the team onsite began to retreat, Jeongyeon's fingers flew across her keyboard. The command prompt on her screen filled up with mysterious text before flashing red. Y/N picked up a stopwatch in anticipation of Jeongyeon's progress.
"Start the clock and get me the hell out of here." Jeongyeon reached around to secure herself to the computer station in the back of the van.
Y/N hit [Start] on the stopwatch and gunned the engine. Through her monitors, Jeongyeon watched the back door swing open and the lobby of YGM come to life. Almost in a panic frenzy, security guards flooded the doorways accompanied by blaring sirens as they rushed to the site of supposed infiltration. Dahyun and Jennie had disappeared down the subway station while V continued to scamper down the stairwell of their building, meeting up with Rosé at the ground level before disappearing off the street.
"Time?" Jeongyeon asked.
Y/N looked down at the stopwatch. "66 seconds." He looked back up as he turned onto the street."I think we can make do with that."