Kingdom Come

Chapter Twenty Two

(Not Edited)

"Hello?" Jaehyun answered his phone, currently sitting bored, staring at his ceiling with failing interest. He's been working from home, not yet ready to face his coworkers with his new found looks and abilities. Yuta has been sending him encrypted cases and files to work with, including everything about the series of murders they've been trying to crack for months.

Jaehyun muses that they've already cracked it, but they can't physically report anything about magic or gods and goddesses. No one would believe them, at all.

"Hey, Jae." Lisa's voice emits through the phone, subdued rather than bubbly.

He worried his brows. "Hey, bud, you okay?"

She sighs, taking a moment to breathe. "I wanted to call you to tell you that Hana is with Chaeyoung."

"Hana? Lee Donghae's daughter?"

"Yeah. Turns out, Jennie knows them personally. Small world, right?"

He sits up, folding his head to his shoulder, holding his phone there as he writes a memo to himself. "Lisa, this is huge! I'll call Yuta right away-"

"Wait!" He pauses, taking his phone back into his hand. "I have something else to say."

"Okay, go on."

"You know how Hana has that incurable disease? I... I felt bad. For her, I mean. My heart just broke for her and... I felt like she has more to live up to in this life."

Jaehyun pauses, listening to on of his closest friends as she rambles. He frowns, already knowing how she is. "What did you do?"

"I traded. Her life for mine."

"Lisa-"

"That's all I wanted to say. Go call Yuta, now." She hangs up immedietly, leaving Jaehyun to sit in shock. Without giving much thought, he quickly changes, texting Yuta to meet him at Rosé's with urgency. He didn't bother waiting for a reply, too focused on making sure his friend is safe and okay. Work can come later.

With an anxious disposition, Jaehyun drives, albiet a bit faster than the law entails. He knew that whatever happened to Lisa had to do with the gods and he was ready to interrogate that next one he saw. In his stupor, he hadn't realized his grip dented the steering wheel.

Marching up to the door, he keeps from banging on it, not trusting his strength. Surprisingly, Yeri is the one to answer, eyes wide and surprised. "Jaehyun, you're here already-"

"Where's Lisa? And Rosé?"

"Inside- hey, wait..!" He pushed her aside, checking the rooms as he went. He briefly caught the curious eyes of two children, but decided that there was a bigger problem to deal with.

He finds the pair, with Rosé crying into Lisa's chest as she silently patted her hair. Jaehyun pauses, taken aback at the sight having expected the roles to have been reversed. "Jae?" Lisa notices him first. "You're here quickly."

"Are... are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It was my decision. Rosé, however, has been crying non-stop for about an hour."

"Don't act as if what you did isn't a huge deal! Lisa, your life is at stake here!"

Lisa tries to comfort her with a smile. "It's okay, I'm mortal, anyway. I was bound to die at some point."

Yeri and Jaehyun errupt in exasperation, countering Lisa in the manner that one wod scold a child. "Guys, please, I'm really fine. Trust me." One look from Lisa told them that what's done is done. They should just give up.

"Lisa, you're too kind."

She smiles. "There's no such thing."

"Actually, Jaehyun." Chaeyoung interrupts them. "Can I speak with you for a moment? It's about the case... kinda."

He nods, looking over to Yeri and Lisa as if to say that he'll be right back. Jaehyun follows Chaeyoung into the living room, passing by children once more. "So, as you know, DH's daughter is here-"

"DH?"

She leans in to whisper, "I don't want Hana overhearing us talking about her father." He nods once and she steps back. "As I was saying, I'm pretty sure he only wanted the book to heal Hana. Now that it's done, I think I can reason with him."

He pauses for a moment, scrutinizing her words. "Are you telling me you want to speak to the man who kidnapped you?"

Chaeyoung rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yes, I am. I'm sure he's not a bad guy, he's just a desperate man."

"How are you sure that he won't abduct you again?

"We've healed his daughter! I'm sure that's his motive-"

"No one murders three people for a book to grant themselves the power of the god's just to heal their daughter. Sure, it may have been a part of it, but it can't be the only reason!" He's hissing his words through his teeth, trying to get his point across.

"We won't know that unless we ask him, right?" In a pleading gesture, she takes his hand into hers, cupping it near her chin. "Please, Jaehyun, I need to speak to him."

Jaehyun thinks for a moment, listing the pros and cons of her idea. He wouldn't admit it, but having her speak to him had more upsides than down. With a begrudging sigh, he nods sullenly. "Fine. But I'm coming with you and I'm taking Jungkook. Someone needs to make sure you're okay, even if we're only watching from afar."

Chaeyoung scoffs, letting go of his hand. "Excuse me, I can take care of myself just fine!"

"Yeah, and I'm risking getting murdered by your brother if something happens to you. You can go but only if you have back up."

She's contemplating for a second, weighing her options much like he had. With a begrudging sigh of her own, she relents. "Fine. I'll find a way to contact him. While I do that, will you do me a favor?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"Someone needs to watch over Lisa while we're away. As much as I trust Yeri, she can't do anything if something magical happens to Lisa."

"Okay, so..."

"Can you take her to Ten? Ask her to explain everything to him. I sure he'll be fine watching over her."

Jaehyun hesitates, unsure whether to voice his concern. He decides the risk is worth it if it meant making sure Lisa was safe, "are you sure? Ten's a bit... how do I put it? Reserved and unapproachable."

Chaeyoung laughs at this, her head getting thrown back. "I mean, you're not wrong," she says between taking deep breathes. "I wouldn't worry, though. He's more fond of her than you think." She winks.