Operation Jihoon

The mission had officially begun. Ayesha and Ravi, now fully settled into their new routine, decided it was time to start gathering intel on Jihoon. They needed to know where he went, who he spent time with, and if there was any connection to the missing girls. The plan was simple—follow Jihoon discreetly, observe his behavior, and find out if there was anything suspicious. But as they quickly learned, tailing a famous K-pop star wasn’t as easy as they had imagined.

“So, what’s the plan for today?” Ravi asked, lounging on the couch while Ayesha scrolled through her notes on Jihoon’s schedule.

Ayesha smirked, raising an eyebrow. “Today, we’re going undercover—again. I signed up for a delivery gig. Jihoon orders food from this Korean fusion restaurant downtown, and we’re going to be the ones delivering it to him.”

Ravi laughed. “Are we really doing this? Delivery people now? What’s next, becoming his backup dancers?”

“Hey, don’t tempt me,” Ayesha replied, grabbing her jacket. “But we need a low-profile way to get close to him. This is our best shot for today.”

Thirty minutes later, they found themselves standing outside Jihoon’s luxury apartment building, both dressed in the restaurant’s delivery uniforms, complete with caps and name tags.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Ravi muttered under his breath, looking less than thrilled with his role. “I didn’t sign up to be a fake delivery guy.”

“Well, now you are,” Ayesha shot back, adjusting her cap as they approached the front door. “Just act natural.”

They entered the building, managing to convince the doorman that they were there to deliver food to Jihoon himself. A short elevator ride later, they were standing in front of his door.

“Ready?” Ayesha whispered, nudging Ravi.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Ravi grumbled.

Ayesha knocked on the door, her heart racing. Moments later, the door opened slightly, and Jihoon’s manager peeked out. He glanced at the food and nodded, opening the door wider.

“Food delivery for Jihoon,” Ayesha said with a fake cheerful tone, trying to keep her voice steady.

The manager eyed them suspiciously for a moment but then sighed and waved them inside. “Just put it on the counter,” he said.

As they stepped into the apartment, Ayesha subtly scanned the room. The place was immaculate, with modern décor and sleek furniture. Jihoon himself wasn’t in sight, but she could hear the faint sound of music playing from one of the back rooms.

Ravi carefully placed the food on the counter, and just as they were about to leave, Ayesha made a bold move.

“So, Jihoon must be really busy, huh?” she asked casually, trying to sound like an innocent fan who was making small talk.

The manager gave her a sideways glance. “Yeah, he’s always busy. That’s the life of a superstar. Thanks for the food.”

And with that, they were ushered out of the apartment, their first mission a complete flop.

“Well, that didn’t go as planned,” Ravi muttered as they left the building. “We got absolutely nothing.”

Ayesha sighed, rubbing her temples. “I know. We’ll just have to try something else.”

The next day, they switched tactics. This time, Ravi posed as a crazed fan, hoping to get closer to Jihoon during one of his public outings. Armed with a sign that read “Jihoon, I love you!” and a homemade t-shirt with his face plastered across it, Ravi went all out.

“You look ridiculous,” Ayesha snickered, watching him adjust the oversized sign. “You sure you’re ready for this?”

“Do I have a choice?” Ravi groaned, glancing at the mirror. “This is all for the mission, right? Just keep an eye on me and make sure I don’t do anything too stupid.”

Ayesha nodded, stifling her laughter as they positioned themselves outside Jihoon’s favorite café. They had found out through social media that Jihoon often stopped by this spot for coffee, and sure enough, he arrived right on schedule, wearing dark sunglasses and a baseball cap, trying to keep a low profile.

Ravi immediately sprang into action, rushing over to Jihoon and waving his sign frantically. “Jihoon! Jihoon! I love you! Please take a picture with me!”

Jihoon looked startled for a moment but quickly composed himself, offering a polite smile as he tried to sidestep Ravi. However, Ravi was persistent, blocking Jihoon’s path and continuing to shout about how much of a fan he was.

Ayesha watched from a distance, biting her lip to keep from laughing. Ravi was doing his best to be obnoxious, but Jihoon’s security team was already stepping in to diffuse the situation.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough,” one of the bodyguards said, gently pushing Ravi away. “He’s in a hurry, no time for photos.”

Ravi, still holding the sign, stumbled back dramatically, as if heartbroken. “But Jihoon! My love for you is real!”

Jihoon chuckled lightly, shaking his head before disappearing into the café.

Ayesha approached Ravi, who was now dramatically sulking on the sidewalk. “Well, that was...something.”

“Yeah, something embarrassing,” Ravi muttered, tossing the sign aside. “This is harder than I thought. We’re not getting anywhere.”

They both sighed in unison, realizing that their attempts to gather information were falling flat.

“Alright, new plan,” Ayesha said, determined. “We go for the big guns. We try to kidnap his manager.”

“What? Are you insane?” Ravi’s eyes widened. “We’re not actually going to kidnap anyone!”

“No, no, not really kidnap,” Ayesha corrected, rolling her eyes. “We just need to get him alone and question him. He knows everything about Jihoon, right? We just need to make him talk.”

And so, the next phase of their mission began. They spent the next few days tracking the manager’s movements, figuring out his routine. It wasn’t long before they spotted an opportunity—he often went to a quiet gym in the evenings, usually by himself. It was the perfect place to confront him.

The night of the plan, Ayesha and Ravi waited outside the gym, dressed in black hoodies, ready to execute their “kidnapping.”

“Are you sure about this?” Ravi whispered, glancing around nervously.

“We’ve come this far,” Ayesha said, determined. “Let’s do it.”

As the manager exited the gym, they moved in quickly, grabbing him and pulling him into an alleyway. The manager yelped in surprise, but before they could even ask a single question, he broke free, elbowed Ravi in the ribs, and sprinted down the street.

They stood there, stunned for a moment.

“Well,” Ayesha said, panting, “that didn’t go as planned.”

Ravi groaned, rubbing his side. “This is officially the worst idea we’ve ever had.”

They slinked back to the safe house, defeated and still no closer to the truth. But despite their failed attempts, they couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous their mission had become.

“We really need to rethink our strategy,” Ayesha said, collapsing onto the couch.

“Agreed,” Ravi muttered, shaking his head. “Next time, let’s leave the kidnapping to the professionals.”

But even in their frustration, they knew they couldn’t give up. Jihoon was hiding something—or at least someone close to him was. They just needed to find the right way in.

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