2. Project IZ*ONE II

Chapter 7- Scars

"Nonsense, trust in Eunbi-unnie's plan. No matter what the Principal says, I still believe our team is the best. They just caught us while we weren't together. I'm sure if all of us were there, we wouldn't have been beat. Heck, even the three of us alone would be good enough to save Minjoo. We're JoYuriz after all." Yuri says confidently.

"JoYuriz?" Yena asks with a questioning look.

"Because people say we all look alike!" Yuri wasn't wrong though. If each of them had a hundred won for every time someone called them by the wrong name, they'd be rich.

"Yeah, I get that, but why are we named after you?" Chaewon asks back.

"Why wouldn't I be? I am the most mature after all~" She responds with a giggle.

"I can't argue with her on that front." Yena says. The three now share a laugh with each other as they approach the dorms again. Even if it had been a short walk though, Chaewon began to pant, catching the attention of the other girls.

"You okay, Chae? You've had that tired look all day." The duck asks with concern.

"It's nothing guys. I just need some rest to prepare for the mission tomorrow." The short-haired girl tries to explain.

"No...it's not nothing." Yena says seriously. "You did something stupid, didn't you? Even when I warned you against it?" Chaewon could only nod slowly, realizing she'd been caught red-handed.

"Okay...I did. Just promise not to tell Eunbi-unnie until I say so." And with that, she begins to explain herself. She knew her clone's tiredness would catch up to her, but she didn't expect it to happen so soon.

~~~~

Somewhere in downtown Seoul...

"You have a lot of nerve coming back here. Come on, get inside. You look awful." The stern voice of an older woman scolds. It was a voice Chaewon was all too familiar with. When she'd found that piece of clothing back in the forest, a quick search online told her the location of where it came from- a company in Daegu. From there, after hiding it from Yena, Chaewon decided to sneak one of her clones out and find a way to Minjoo alone. It was honestly easier than she thought it'd be; The guards would never really find out she was missing from campus because she was still technically there. Chaewon knew her friends would be able to help, but like Yena, she didn't want to waste a second in saving her friend. Right now, she was exhausted from walking down the mountain until she found a bus-stop that took her to the one place she thought could give her a free ride.

"Yes, mother. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting all this time..." She says with an apologetic bow before stepping into the mansion, her old home.

"So, what brings you here? You disappeared for what? A year?" Her mother asks when they both get seated at the dining table. This situation felt all too familiar too Chaewon, but she had to do it, for Minjoo.

"I...I need a ride, mom. My friend, she was abducted, and I need to get to Daegu as fast as possible."

"Don't you have your other friends for that? I kept trying to look for you, you know? But eventually, I found out you were signed up at Woollim's facility. Then, I saw a couple months ago that you moved to this other facility that's been in the news. I'm sure you would've had the resources to save your friend there. Why me?" This response surprised the short-haired girl. She wouldn't have thought that her mother would've kept tabs on her all this time.

"It's complicated. I'm kind of in this alone right now. Just tell me what I need to do and I'll do it." Chaewon pleads. She was desperate. She ran out of campus on her own with this as her only option. It was probably shortsighted of her, but emotions tend to cloud your judgement, especially when a loved one is in danger. After a few moments of silence, her mother answers, but it wasn't what Chaewon had expected.