THE GIFTED | STRAY KIDS ✔

39

Chan had gathered them all in the living room at dawn for the last time. They each had packed a bag of necessities for themselves and stood around Chan, waiting for his instructions. A sense of sadness enveloped the room. It seemed like each one of them had realized that they were indeed leaving this place for good.

This was a place where they'd experienced stuff that they never imagined they ever would. This was a place where they formed some of the best memories with each other. This was a place that birthed friendship, trust, love, and happiness.

"I hope you all are ready," Chan spoke, his tone soft and composed. The others nodded in response.

"Great," Chan continued. "Okay, so here's how we're going to go about this."

Everyone listened eagerly, giving Chan their full attention despite their lack of rest and anxiousness.

"First, we'll need our getaway car, in this case, our getaway van, to be all set and ready to go," Chan began. "So we need someone to go ahead first. Possibly, along with Jeongin, to make tracing Felix's last known location faster."

"But how would they make it out without Hyunjin manipulating the guards?" Seungmin asked.

"Why don't you go, hyung?" Minho responded. "You could protect Jeongin in case something happens. We'll be fine on our own. We'll come along with Hyunjin."

"Are you guys sure about this?" Chan asked, and everyone nodded.

"I could take you guys much quicker," Jisung added.

"That sounds like a good idea," Changbin said. "The quicker the better."

"But I don't know if I'll able to drag along two people at once," Jisung continued.

"I'll levitate," Chan replied. "It'll make me much lighter and easier to drag away. You'll just have to bear Jeongin's weight."

"So you can't make me levitate?" Jeongin questioned, to which Chan laughed.

"I'm sorry, Innie," Chan said with a gentle look on his face. "But my powers are only limited to myself. I wish I could make it easier for Hannie, but I cannot."

"It's okay, hyung," Jisung smiled. "I'll manage."

"Thank you, Hannie," Chan continued to explain the plan. "Once the three of us reach the van, you guys will need to get there as quick as possible. Let Hyunjin do his thing, and the main priority is to protect him and yourselves. And make sure not to get spotted by Captain Lee or the director."

"We'll take care of it," Minho assured, and Chan could notice the determination in his eyes.

"Jisung will come back to bring more people faster," Chan explained. "We will need more defenses down there while Jeongin does his work."

"Yeah, I got it," Jisung answered.

"You all have understood, yeah?" Chan asked one last time. Everyone nodded with determination. Chan smiled and assured everyone to get ready to begin their plan.