Nowhere || Beomjun | yeongyu ||

Chapter 19: Core

***

"So she's going to lie?" Jimin inquired, his eyes narrowed as he spoke to the average-heighted man standing before him, more like his subordinate than anything else. Jimin had a network of agents in the real world who carried out various tasks according to his demands.

The man nodded solemnly and replied, "Yes, sir. She plans to return and claim that she's pregnant with the prince's child. Then, they will stage his death." Jimin's expression shifted to one of understanding as he absorbed this information.

"So it's Fred's child?" Jimin questioned, leaning forward with interest. The man nodded in confirmation. Jimin, who was sitting with his legs spread out on the couch, couldn't help but smile at the cleverness of the plan. "She's pretty clever," he remarked with a chuckle. The man, maintaining his stoic expression, didn't react to Jimin's amusement.

"This is so fun," Jimin chuckled.

It was all a game to him indeed.

***

"This has to be a joke!" Soobin exclaimed, almost screaming as he scanned through the list on Yeonjun's mission. "Is Jimin kidding?" Kai realized there was no way he could calm Soobin down. He interrupted, trying to get his attention. "Look," he began, but Soobin cut him off again. Soobin was pacing back and forth, clearly agitated. "I said there's no fucking way!" Kai sighed, understanding that Soobin was not going to calm down easily.

"You know what? Let's go back to Earth," Soobin said, his frustration evident in his voice. Kai chuckled, which only seemed to irritate Soobin further. "Are you serious right now?" Soobin asked in disbelief. Kai quickly responded, "No, look, this is not just about Yeonjun anymore; it's Beomgyu's mission too." This reasoning seemed to calm Soobin down somewhat. "Still... you know what?" Soobin began, but Kai cut him off. "Just imagine that it's for Beomgyu, Soobin. It's very unprofessional of you." Soobin pouted and sat down beside Kai. "Is it?" Kai nodded, and Soobin sighed, saying, "Yeah, I guess."

There was one thing soobin was definitely not. Unprofessional. It was just his hate for yeonjun. Reasonable hate.

Kai moved closer to Soobin and said, "I think it's time we should... No, I'm not saying we should become friends with him. I mean we should just talk to each other in a more humane way." Soobin shot him a glare, but it softened immediately. There was no way he could stay angry at Kai. Kai was the last person he would be mad at.

"I won't mind talking to him in a humane way, but he has to act like a human for that, you know," Soobin quipped. Kai laughed in response. "He is, Soobin."

Soobin smirked, replying, "He's a jerk."

Kai smiled and said, "Of course he is." Then Soobin conceded, "Well, let's just say I'll set my personal feelings aside and do it as a job."

"Thank God," Kai said with a sigh of relief. Soobin smiled, then suddenly added, "Beomgyu seemed so upset earlier... when we told him about Yeonjun's past... almost like he would pass out." Kai nodded in agreement, saying, "You noticed it too? I felt like he suddenly became numb."

Soobin made a mental note to check up on Beomgyu later and then asked Kai, "Don't you have to go to the lab?" It was one of those days when Kai went to work with Taehyun in his lab. Kai somehow smiled hesitantly and replied, "I don't want to." Soobin chuckled and said, "But you have to." Kai sighed and reluctantly agreed, "Yes," and then rested his head on Soobin's broad shoulder.

***

"I knew it was coming," Taehyun said, looking towards Yeonjun, who was sitting on the couch with a numb expression, his eyes fixed on Beomgyu, who was currently asleep. Yeonjun's gaze shifted to Taehyun, and he asked, "When will he wake up?" Taehyun let out a sigh and replied, "You gave him a sleeping pill right after the fever medicine. Probably in a few hours." Yeonjun nodded, his attention returning to Beomgyu.

Taehyun sighed once more. He had come here in a hurry because Yeonjun called him and said, "Be here in 10 minutes, or I'll pass out." Yeonjun had been undoubtedly frightened by Beomgyu's fever. In his panic, he didn't quite know how to care for someone in such a situation.

"Yeonjun?" Taehyun called out, and Yeonjun turned to him with his dazed eyes. Taehyun asked, "You love him, don't you?" Yeonjun managed a somewhat melancholic smile and replied, "You know me very well, don't you?" Taehyun smirked in response, saying, "Of course, I do."

Then Yeonjun continued, his voice tinged with introspection, "Taehyun, I... I never once thought about my life's purpose beyond my revenge. I never considered what I'd do afterward or with whom I'd spend my life..." He shifted his gaze towards Beomgyu, who was still peacefully asleep, and continued, "But he makes me want to think about it all. He gives me every reason to keep on living."

Taehyun stayed silent, encouraging Yeonjun to open up further. Yeonjun continued, his voice carrying a mix of emotions, "In these two months, he's made me feel all kinds of emotions – hate, irritation, concern, guilt, fear, and even love. Emotions I haven't felt in all these years."

Yeonjun scrutinized Taehyun's face for any reaction, but Taehyun remained impassive. Yeonjun continued, his voice carrying a profound sense of realization, "He shook me to my core, Taehyun. And if that means I love him... then I do."

Taehyun finally sighed, absorbing Yeonjun's words. He stood up from his stool, sat beside Yeonjun, and placed a comforting hand on Yeonjun's thigh. "I understand, Yeonjun," he said gently, then pulled Yeonjun into a hug. They remained embraced for a solid 20 seconds before Taehyun pulled back and said "But I still think you should let me sleep with you - I'm the best pillow ever!"

Yeonjun rolled his eyes and said "You snore like a freight train!"

***

When Taehyun entered his lab, he felt a sudden pang in his neck, an inexplicable pain that crept up unexpectedly. As he looked around, he noticed Terry, his loyal dog, eagerly bounding toward him. "Oh, my good boy," Taehyun said, giving Terry an affectionate pat on the head before gently placing him back on the floor.

As he approached his work station, Taehyun sensed another presence in the lab. His senses went on high alert, and that's when he saw Kai. Panic surged through him; he realized he'd left his laptop open, and there was no way Kai could have missed what he'd been working on. Panic washed over Taehyun as he muttered, "Oh, no."

And yes he was sitting right in front of that damned laptop and shit.