Saturday, February 13
D–DAY
Choi Hanbyul walked down the stairs, hearing various noises around the house. She saw all the boys rushing around, surprising her. What's happening? She wondered, rubbing her eyes to get the sleep out.
She shoved her hands into her sweatpants' pockets, trudging towards the kitchen and finding a bowl of rice and soup laid out for her. Everyone rushed past her, not hearing the quiet greetings she gave and she furrowed her brows, confused.
Why is everyone running everywhere? What's happening?
"Morning, Hani." She heard a familiar voice greet her, eyes widening when she saw Jihoon sitting in front of the counter.
"Oh, good morning, Jihoon." She took a seat in front of the food, stopping herself from eating when she saw the older staring at her with raised eyebrows. "Jihoon oppa." Hanbyul giggled, remembering how strict he was about honorifics.
"Better." Jihoon gave his infamous eye smile, going back to tapping away on his phone as he sipped on a cup of tea.
"Everyone's running around ... is there anything happening today?" The female asked, not looking up as she dug into her food.
Jihoon observed the younger, smiling lightly. Everything is because of her, and she doesn't even know. "Just mafia things, you know. But nothing major, so you don't have to worry," he added quickly, not wanting her to suspect anything.
"Yoshi, Jeongwoo, Asahi! Time to go!" Junkyu called out, and Hanbyul continued eating, used to them coming and leaving as they wished.
Park Jeongwoo tied his laces, asking the older for a minute before jogging towards the girl. "Hani, I have to leave." He tapped her shoulder lightly, gaining her attention. "Can I get a hug?" His question startled the people around him, but they also knew why.
Even with none of their allies backing up SEKIRYU, it was still one of the most dangerous mafias in Seoul. The usual fights Jeongwoo led were because of attacks on their bases and other minorities, but this ... this was huge for them.
Hanbyul grew up with these boys, and she was so attached to them, no matter how much they fought. Even the slightest scratch on them would get her teared up, and when they were going to such a big fight — especially behind her back — they didn't want her to be sad ... if they couldn't make it back.
It wasn't like they were going to war, but it might as well be. Jeongwoo, Junkyu, Asahi and Yoshi were in the front-lines of their bases, and they knew the chances of them making it out alive — with SEKIRYU as their opponent — were low.
"Me too!" Junkyu, Asahi and Yoshi repeated, making the younger tilt her head in confusion.
What is this? They've never asked for hugs before they went on missions. Why now? She thought to herself, but kept her spoon down, getting up and wrapping her arms around each one of them.
"You better take care of yourself."
"No more crying for the littlest things, okay?"
"I know he's annoying, but be good and listen to Jaehyuk."
"I love you, Hani."
Choi Hanbyul felt her heartbeat speed up at their words, recovering from the shock as she awkwardly sat back down to eat. First, Haruto, and now them. Why are they acting as if it's their last day on Earth? Her own words triggered a series of theories, and she placed her spoon down, staring at the table as she kept thinking.
What the fuck is happening?
|<><><><><>|
Yoon Jaehyuk kept the bags of snacks on the table in front of them, taking a seat next to Hanbyul. It was an hour since the boys left, and Jaehyuk kept looking at his phone, checking for a message from Mashiho. Since he was on the lookout, he said he would inform the younger once everything started.
"Jae, is everything alright?" Hanbyul asked, seeing that the older looked worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Not you," she chuckled, shaking her head. "I mean, MAGNUM. Is everything alright? I know it's a mission, but everyone was acting weird and stuff. Jihoon oppa said it's nothing, but is it?"
Jaehyuk nodded, mustering the best smile he could give. "Yeah, it's really minor. I don't even know much of the details, so it must be nothing," he lied, playing the movie as he snacked on some chips.
"Oh, okay." Hanbyul went quiet for a while before grabbing the remote and pausing the movie. "I want to tell you something, Jaehyuk." Her choice of words grabbed his attention, seeing she called him by his name rather than a nickname.
"Sure."
The female gulped, her nails digging into her palm as she took a deep breath. They promised to have no secrets, so she had to tell him. "H-Haruto came by once. The day I came back, actually," she slowly started, peeking at the older to see his reaction.
"Mhm." Jaehyuk nodded, controlling his emotions, knowing well that Hanbyul was scared. "And? Did he say anything?" He asked, pretending as if it didn't bother him.
However, she saw right through his pretense.
"Nothing for importance, just asked to forgive him and blabbered something. I don't really remember, it's been a week." She tried her best not to clench her fists, not wanting Jaehyuk to catch her act.
"Ah. Did he say anything else? Or did he give you anything?"
"Um, well, there was something that bothered me," Hanbyul muttered, making the older look at her. "Before he left, he said 'if we meet again' which was weird. He sounded like he was going to die ... kinda like Jeongwoo, Junkyu, Asahi and Yoshi today."
He frowned at her last few words, checking his phone again. They'll be fine, he convinced himself. "Damn right, he's gonna die." Jaehyuk couldn't stop the words from rolling off his tongue.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Jae." Hanbyul looked at the coal-haired male, grabbing his hand and placing it on her head. "Swear it. Look at me and tell me it's nothing. I tried ignoring it, but I know something's up, so tell me."
Jaehyuk avoided the eye contact, contemplating his choices. "It's nothing. Just forget about everything. Forget about Haruto." He sighed, annoyed.
"Why?"
"Because Haruto's a goner, okay?! He hurt you, and he's going to get what he deserves!"
She really is Hyunsuk's sister. The words went through his mind as Hanbyul's gaze hardened, glaring at the older male. "Explain," she simply stated, and he automatically spilled out everything that happened during the past week.
Yoon Jaehyuk's eyes widened as Hanbyul stood up, tying the laces on her shoes. She looked over at him, gesturing him to stand up, the older obliging without a second thought. "What are we doing?" He asked, furrowing his brows as he stared at the female for an answer.
"You are going to drive me to wherever they are right now," Hanbyul ordered, crossing her arms over her chest as Jaehyuk shook his head.
Pictures of Hyunsuk's angry face flashed in the male's mind, scaring him. He didn't know who to be more afraid of; Hanbyul or Hyunsuk? "H-Hani, I can't d-do that," he stammered, breathing shakily.
"I will fucking drive there myself, Jaehyuk. Give me the keys."
The coal-haired male shook his head again. "I can't d-do that either." He looked at her with pleading eyes, wordlessly begging her to stay.
"Yoon Jaehyuk, I will not let my brother go on some killing spree, so you better drive me there, or so help me ..."
My head is going to be on a stick either way by one of the Choi siblings. "Okay, o-okay. I'll drive y-you." He gulped, already digging his own grave.
Screw the others. Today is going to be my last day on Earth.
|<><><><><>|
Choi Hanbyul watched as they drove into the quieter sides of the city, approaching multiple abandoned buildings. They came to a stop, a lot of distance between the buildings and their car.
"We can't just drive in to a fight, you know?" Jaehyuk sarcastically stated, a blank expression on his face as he took out his phone, dialing Mashiho's contact.
A few rings went before he answered the call, with the older boy sounding distraught. "I was just about to call you. Haruto didn't come alone. Another six came, but it doesn't seem like he called them. I saw them fighting outside before they came in," he explained, with Hanbyul listening to each word.
"How many down?"
"Four in total, two of ours injured."
"Who?" No answer came from the other line, causing Jaehyuk and Hanbyul to exchange glances before the younger took the phone from the other's hand.
"Shiho-chan, who all are injured?" Hanbyul repeated the question.
The male looked around from the roof of the building, getting a gut feeling that they were nearby. "Hani? How d-do you know? Jaehyuk, where are you right–"
"Mashiho, answer my question, goddamit. Who all are injured?!" The duo held their breath, leaning back on the seats as their stomach dropped at the names.
"Asahi and Jihoon."
"Status?"
"Jihoon, conscious, stab wound, close range to his right leg. Asahi ... unconscious and one shotgun wound and multiple stab wounds. Doyoung's with him." Mashiho repeated the information he had told the others, feeling a deep weight on his shoulders as he spoke.
Hanbyul looked at Jaehyuk with tears in her eyes, the older male in a similar situation. "Find a way for me to get to Hyunsuk and Haruto. Now!" Her words caused the coal-haired male to shake his head, starting the car to get out of the area.
Mashiho was still on the line, listening in on their conversation. "Get her out of here, Jaehyuk," he ordered, another gunshot sound sending chills through his spine.
No amount of gunshots would get him used to the sound.
"Jaehyuk, stop!" She tried pulling the male's hands away from the steering wheel, stopping him from driving away. "You guys might be fine with dying, but I don't want to lose any of you guys. So, please, take me to wherever Hyunsuk is to put a stop to everything!" She begged, pleadingly looking at Jaehyuk.
The coal-haired male shook his head. "We can't, Hanbyul. We really can't." He avoided looking at her teary eyes, knowing he would end up listening to her, anyway.
"I will shoot Haruto myself if I have to." Her words shocked both the boys, grabbing their attention. "I will end everything myself, but please, just help me stop the fight. I don't want anymore of our boys getting hurt."
Jihoon's back in the fight. Heading to iKON's med bay with Asahi. Status; critical, the Japanese male read the text. He bit his lip, clenching his fists. Only Hanbyul can stop others from getting hurt, he thought to himself.
"There's an opening on the right side since Asahi isn't keeping guard. Get to the third floor from the staircase on the left side, you'll see boss hyung," Mashiho stated, hoping he didn't make a wrong decision.
"I promise, Mashiho, I won't let the others get hurt."
|<><><><><>|
The duo followed the instructions, ignoring the grunts and yells they heard, moving their feet faster to their destination. Jaehyuk walked in front, with Hanbyul following behind him. The male hadn't been in such missions before, but he knew what precautions to take.
Finding Asahi's revolver on the floor, Jaehyuk ignored the heavy feeling in his chest and picked it up, preparing for the worst as they made it to the third floor. It was an unfinished floor with the metal beams and bars still exposed, uneven layers of concrete partially covering them.
Jaehyuk grabbed Hanbyul's hand, dashing across the floor, following the sounds of his boss's voice. Moving across a pillar, they saw Haruto and Hyunsuk holding each other at gunpoint, the entire scene giving Hanbyul a sense of déjà vu.
Despite the fear she felt, she ignored the feeling, moving closer towards the mafia bosses. I'm doing this for the boys. No one else needs to get hurt. She took a deep breath, a crunch below her feet gaining their attention.
"Hanbyul?!"
***
whew. that was a rollercoaster of a writing journey for me. the amount of thrill and anxiety i have gotten while writing this book is enough for a whole lifetime.
but only if it happened in real life to me tho ... don't judge me, i lowkey wanna be in a mafia. but i have so much more fanfics to write, so don't worry, little ones.
we are coming to an end soon, so share the love! please remember to vote and comment!