To The Stars With You

☆ Escape Journey ☆

Chapter 35: Escape Journey

Seven hung up unwillingly.

The tears in his eyes seemed to be overflowing.

He clutched his chest, pain resonating throughout his body, but mostly, his heart.

The redhead dried his tears with his shirt, handing the phone back to Vanderwood.

The brunette turned around and accepted it.

"You... really love him, don't you?"

Vanderwood asked, guilt in his voice.

After all he had overheard, it made him realize that what he was doing was wrong.

Love wasn't to be critisised like that.

And Seven wasn't at fault.

He was right.

"I'm sorry."

He apologized.

Seven shook his head.

"It wasn't you. It was the agency."

The redhead sighed.

Vanderwood refused that fact.

"That is true, but that's... that's not it."

He furrowed his brows, frustrated.

"The higher-ups haven't heard about your situation yet. It's those directly in charge of you and I who are jealous. They're the ones trying to blow this matter up as much as possible so that you get a heavier sentence."

The brunette explained.

Seven's eye twitched.

"What's the heaviest sentence?"

He asked worriedly.

Vanderwood sighed.

"What else? They'd either brainwash you or kill you."

He answered.

The redhead's eyes widened.

"No! I'd rather die than be brainwashed!"

He exclaimed.

Vanderwood looked at him in confusion.

"What?! If I were you, I'd rather be brainwashed!"

The brunette retorted.

Seven shook his head.

"No... no! I want to at least die while having memories of him with me! I want to at least... live in those moments."

He finished.

And the room was silent.

Finally, Vanderwood turned to Seven.

"I'm getting you out of here."

-

Jumin reached his workplace, all drenched and exhausted.

His assistant was the first one to notice, along with the rest of his colleagues.

Jaehee ran towards him with a towel.

"Mr. Han! What's going on?"

She asked, handing the towel to him.

He took it gratefully, but fear was in his eyes.

Slipping out his phone, he showed the brunette the screen.

"Seven's coordinates."

He breathed.

"I need backup immediately."

-

Seven and Vanderwood stepped through the halls of the agency silently, slipping through corridor after corridor.

They needed to find the higher-ups.

Fast.

"Hide!"

Vanderwood suddenly whispered, pulling the redhead next to him behind a wall.

Seven's eyes widened once he caught sight of one of his seniors in the agency.

Or more specifically, one of the seniors clearly jealous of him.

"Agent 707? Yeah. I'm going to check on his cell right now. What? Vanderwood? Mm, that cutie's guarding the cell. Two birds with one stone, right?"

The guy grinned, talking into his phone loudly.

Vanderwood clicked his tongue.

"What an idiot. He doesn't even know how to use the phrase 'two birds with one stone' properly."

The brunette scoffed, audible only to Seven's ears.

The redhead raised an eyebrow.

"I know we're supposed to be focusing on escaping and stuff for the sake of my love life, but are you just going to ignore the fact that he called you a cutie?"

He whispered.

Vanderwood shrugged.

"Whatever. I don't have interest in him, but he seems pretty useful."

He snickered, sauntering out of their hiding spot.

Seven continued to hide behind the wall.

"Wait! What are you-"

He bit back his protests once Vanderwood was too far away to hear him.

He watched as the brunette approached his senior, who was still standing in the hallway.

"Hey."

Vanderwood greeted emotionlessly at first, walking up to the guy, whose face immediately reddened.

"O-oh, Vanderwood!"

The guy stuttered, ending his call immediately.

Vanderwood didn't waste any time in getting into an act.

He lightly brushed the man's cheek, drawing his attention.

"Ah, sorry. Your hair looks better this way."

He purred, flashing a killer smile.

The guy in front of him almost dropped his phone.

"I-it's no problem, really!"

Now.

Vanderwood took a step forward, and neglected putting pressure on his front leg, landing him in the position where he had fallen straight onto the man in front of him.

"This is embarassing... My apologies, I do feel a little dizzy..."

The brunette apologized, looking up at his senior, who was blushing madly at the fact that their lips were inches apart.

Vanderwood brushed his hair behind his ear.

"So..."

He began, arms snaking around the guy's neck.

"I heard you called me 'cutie'..."

The brunette batted his eyelashes, but the man in front of him had no response.

If anything, he had collapsed into Vanderwood's arms.

Seven peeked out from the corner, confused.

His partner smiled at him.

"Taser."