The bags had read:
LEE DOWOON
KANG EUNMI
JANG GAWON
SEONG HAJUN
Nari dropped her bag of candy and staggered, eyes widening at the sight of her best friend's name. The clatter of a phone could be heard in the background, but Nari could hear nothing. All she could hear was her own heart pounding, blood rushing through her ears, her vision blurring, eyes still completely focused on the "Jang Gawon" label that was blaring at her through the screen.
"Team Delta... got taken out?" Suho said, his voice gruff but quivered on the last word.
"H-How?" Wangja exhaled, jaw slacked, hands trembling as his head tried to grasp what he just saw.
The sound of the reporter focused back, Jiyeon glaring at the tv screen, holding back tears as what the reporter said finally arrived at their ears, "....The incident has been extremely sudden as our (uh hero synonym here). A deep investigation will be conducted on this dastardly murder. Continuing on, we all gather around our four heroes, Lee Dowoon, Kang Eunmi, Jang Gawon and Seong Hajun, who we pray to god have arrived safely in heaven. You have our deepest thanks, and your heroic deeds will forever remain in our hearts..."
"Team Delta."
LINEBREAKER
Team Beta was sitting in the waiting room, bodies slumped on the chairs with varying degrees of sadness. The occasional sniffling could be heard from Nari, sounds of muttering from the debriefing room as the higher ups discuss what to do about this shocking development. Jiyeon mumbled something about going out for some fresh air, slamming the door as she walked out. Wangja, being the thoughtful leader he is, follows her out.
"What's up?"
"What do you mean, what's up?" Jiyeon mumbled, "Everything's all messed up,"
"We'll get through it," Wangja exhales as he walks closer to the railing, leaning against it. "Eventually."
The wind blew through her hair, leaves gently landing on the ground.
"I feel like we've failed at everything we're trying to do, and I..." Jiyeon stuttered off to find herself in tears.
"I just wished we could be better." She sighs, tears silently streaming down her face.
Wangja was at a loss for words as he wordlessly stretched his arm around her, hugging her closer, as they mourned their dead friends.
A sudden knock on the door startled them as they all jumped up, hastily wiping their tears. Jiyeon and Wangja walked back into the waiting room, faces red from crying and the embarrassing moment they shared. Nari slowly got off the ground, eyes puffy, and reached towards the door.
It was Manager Kim. Unlike her usually bright and reassuring personality she comes in looking like a mess. Her face was a sickly color, her eyes were swollen shut and her hair was a bird's nest. Team Beta wasn't the only ones hit by the news.
"Hey guys." She croaked, her broken voice seemingly loud in the quiet room.
She glanced at them, greeted by the sight of swollen eyes, tears and sniffly noses. She rubbed her own cheeks, tears still rolling down her cheeks.
"Ah. Guess you all know." Manager Kim's words were mostly spoken to herself as she averted her gaze towards the floor.
"So... Now what? What happens to us?" Nari said, with a stutter.
Manager Kim thought to herself, 'Ah I remember Nari being quite close to one of the Team Delta members, who was it...'
Jiyeon, arms crossed, growled, "Are we just going to be thrown away like a piece of trash?"
She strided across the room, hands in a fist, "We're done being played like extra puppets in your freak circus, so tell us: What are we gonna do now?"
Manager Kim straightens up, her naturally stoic face back.
"Your hero career isn't over yet."
