"At the very last moment
A blurred image appears before my eyes
After I put everything down
Unconsciously, I felt hysteria
Such a beautiful destroyer."
- Mayday by Victon
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Trigger warning: Blood, death/ murder
A girl with dark brown hair walks alongside her blonde friend to the bus stop after school. They are both in their late teens, nearing the age of adulthood.
"Guess what! My dad said he'll finally tell me my brother's name when I get home from school today!" The girl excitedly exclaims. "No way! Finally we might be able to find him," her friend smiles.
The two best friends have been working together to look for the brunette's brother for years. They've asked around her old neighbourhood, checked with all nearby schools and begged her father for information but with no luck. His name is hidden so well, it's nearly as if he doesn't even exist.
But at last, she'll get his name. This could make her search incredibly easier. Her father finally decided that she's old enough to know the truth.
She has a hop in her step as she waves her friend goodbye and boards the bus. The journey goes by in the blink of an eye, her mind occupied by excitement.
She nearly skips home, face brightening at the sight of her house. As she gets closer, she slows down a bit. Something feels off.
She turns the door handle of the front door and the hairs on her body instantly stand erect. Her father never leaves the front door unlocked, he's quite big on safety.
She carefully pushes the door open, unconsciously holding her breath. "Dad?" she calls out cautiously.
Silence.
After a gulp, the girl's steps quicken. She throws the door for her living room open, sighing when it's empty. She turns toward the kitchen and feels even more on edge. "Dad?" she tries again, a little more softly this time.
When she gets no answer once again, she pushes the door to the kitchen open in one heavy shove. The door flies open, unlocking the most shocking sight the girl had ever seen in her life.
In front of her, on the floor, lies her father with his body straightened making it look like he was adjusted to be in that position by someone else.
And in his chest is a knife.
A pool of dark blood sits around the man and a red stain falls from the knife through his shirt.
She lets out a blood curdling scream before sprinting to his body. She places her hands around the kitchen knife lodged deep into his chest hesitantly. After getting a bit of blood smudged onto her hand, she immediately lets go. The girl can't seem to stop her rapid breaths.
Her only remaining parent, gone the same way as her mother. He meant the world to her. He can't leave like this.
She panickingly places her finger under his nostrils, praying to feel warm air.
She feels nothing.
She rubs her hands all over his face, desperate to feel any kind of warmth but all she can feel is ice cold. He must have been killed earlier in the day. Once the realisation settles in, the girl can't stop crying. She clutches her father's hand tightly, wishing he'd wake up and shout at her for hurting his hand. She wishes he'd wake up and tell her to eat a snack. She wishes he'd just wake up.
She feels many hands grab her arm from behind but she can't take her attention away from her father. What if he suddenly wakes up? He has to.
She needs to find the killer. She needs to punish them thoroughly. She starts to quickly think of any suspects.
Could it be her brother again?
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Jihyun's eyes fly open. She notices that there's a thin sheet of sweat layered all over her body. That dream really had her stressed. She feels a certain emptiness after recalling that specific memory. The day of her father's murder.
She stares at the white ceiling painted with a green hue from the annoying lighting. Would she be where she is now if her father hadn't died? Probably not, his murder is what motivated her to become an agent. She'd probably be living a normal life right now, visiting her father every day. Maybe she'd even be still living with him.
She feels a strong longing for him. She pulls the pillow from under her head and hugs it tightly, imagining a world where everything is alright.
"Good morning!" Yunho chirps loudly, interrupting her daydream. She lets out a loud sigh. "Morning. Do you never sleep? How are you always awake before me?" she grumbles into the pillow in her arms.
"I guess I just coincidentally wake up before you every single day." The girl turns her head to see the large man sitting cross legged, looking eager for a conversation. He looks so hug-able which is exactly what Jihyun needs right now. Then her eyes focus on the thick bars seperating them and her heart sinks.
She starts to imagine cuddling Yunho instead and a blush grows on her cheeks. She quickly sits up so she can distract her mind from travelling too far. "I-Is that so," she stutters, suddenly avoiding eye contact.
She failed to prevent her mind from travelling too far.
Yunho raises an eyebrow and unconsciously releases a smirk. "What made you so shy?" he asks in his smooth and deep voice, adding a slight laugh at the end. This somehow makes Jihyun's blush stronger and she fights the urge to fan her face. Thankfully she's slightly turned away, making it harder for Yunho to see.
"I'm not shy," she pouts, slowly turning around further. She nearly jumps when she feels a hand on her knee. Her head whips around only to see Yunho's long arm stretched through the bars, resting on her leg.
"Is it because of me?" He cutely tilts his head, some of his fluffly hair bouncing a bit too. Her heart is beating so fast she can heart it loud and clear in her own ears. "I..." she starts, not knowing how to respond. She feels hesitant to tell him that he really is the cause of her shyness.
He laughs loudly while retreating his hand. "I'm just kidding, the look on your face was worth it!" He laughs by himself and Jihyun laughs along, but her mind is elsewhere. His laughter is so bright, it feels like she's being healed by it. They say laughter is the best medicine, but in this case it's someone else's laughter.
Yunho's presence is so refreshing in the midst of the dark and dreary basement. He's a beacon of hope to her, her drive to do better. It's people like him that push her to keep saving more lives. This time is no different. She has to save him no matter what. She hopes that she can manage to make his smile and adorable laughter fully genuine in the near future.
"Why are you staring at me like that? Your boyfriend wouldn't be too happy about that," he jokes. Jihyun's eyes widen and she moves her eyes elsewhere again. "I don't have one," she murmurs sheepishly.
Yunho leans forward while Jihyun shuffles back, clearly startled by his face. "No way! You're so pretty I assumed you had one," he casually adds a wink to the end of his statement. Jihyun starts choking on air, never in a million years expecting Yunho to do something like that.
"I'm sorry, I'm just so excited to have someone to talk to again," he smiles warmly. He's happy, but his words still pain Jihyun's heart. It must have been so difficult in this place all alone. She knows that she would be in much worse condition right now if it weren't for the big ball of sunshine right beside her.
This time it's her hand that reaches through the bars. Although she can't reach as far, she still manages to land on top of his hand and squeezes tightly. His crispy cold hands wake up at the feeling of her oven ones.
"I'm not going anywhere without you." She softly rubs her thumb over his. "You won't be alone anymore," she assures in a sad tone. Yunho however looks anything but sad. He smiles even wider. "Thank you. I really do appreciate it."
Jihyun knows everything he's saying is genuine, yet the fact that he is unable to feel sad or regretful unsettles her a bit. She pushes the thought away, not wanting to ruin this. One of her new favourite things to do is to hold hands with Yunho. In usual circumstances, this would not be seen as an ordinary thing for two people who just met to do. But right now the gesture brings comfort to both of them.
They're both slightly confused on their feelings for each other still, but one thing they're certain of is that staying hand in hand brings security. They may be seperated in cages but since their hands join, they feel safe and strong. That's exactly what they both need in these times of uncertainty.
Anything could happen at any time. They must always be prepared for the worst. Jihyun tries to ignore it as much as she can, but deep down she knows she'll eventually get killed. But that won't stop her from trying and trying and trying.
The atmosphere is shattered quickly when the door creaks open. The pair drop each other's hands rapidly, pretending as if they don't even know each other. San comes waltzing in, holding a clipboard in his hand.
"I've got some good news!" he shouts. Neither of the caged pair anticipate what's to come.
"Jihyun, you'll now get to finally test the new serum we made!"