The Fear of Fascination || Ateez SciFi x Fantasy

Chapter 9

Hongjoong knew how the mineralogist sitting across from him - Dr. Kang Yeosang, as he had introduced - felt in that moment when the silence stretched between them. Uncomfortable. Uncomfortable as he was, being surrounded – confined – by a man-made lab in the depths of the B.E.A.S.T. headquarters, an organization known for its specialized technology that tackled extraterrestrial life. Not to mention the two men he had scarcely met for an hour on Earth – which, he'd found to his dismay, passed way slower than time on Fallis – after the nephew of one of them wilfully brought him here.

He'd anticipated as much. That a little boy of ten years casually approached three Mythlikeen creatures with black wings and horns in a back alley was proof enough that his visit was premeditated rather than fortuitous. He did not blame Jeongin, no. In fact, there was no one to blame. It was his mission to confront the humans, so now here he was, dizzy from more questions than he'd started with when he set off from his home realm.

The uncle had seemed disappointed that only one of the trio of dark fairies showed up, but he'd quickly sent his nephew away "so the adults could talk in private." No sooner had that happened did he leave the circular room himself, leaving his partner behind to babysit their guest.

Behind Hongjoong the glass doors whooshed open, and his shoulders slumped in relief to hear the engineer's footsteps approaching. It was becoming unbearable to stare at the shard of Crescent Stone - a property of Ektore - on the lab bench in front of him without getting any answers to how or why it got into the hands of humans.

"Hyung." Yeosang sat up straighter, visibly anxious. "You've been a while. What did Mr. Yoo say?"

Seonghwa eyed Hongjoong before sitting down next to his partner. The dark fairy had noticed that the engineer was a lot more secretive and wary of him, but that did not matter because, unknowingly to his hosts, he had heightened senses and could hear every word that was being whispered into the scientist's ear.

Apparently, the chairman of B.E.A.S.T. wanted them to "talk to" him and finish up the report on Fallis's hostility by the end of the day. Great, we can take turns asking each other questions.

Seonghwa cleared his throat. "So, I take that your name is Hongjoong, is it?" Hongjoong could hear the distaste in his voice, and it was not because of the enhanced hearing. "Why are you here?"

The words were like a trigger, bringing up his memory of the time when Wonho the Centaur had explained to him what San's vision portended for the fate of Ektore and, possibly, the whole of Fallis. If he wanted to prevent interplanetary war from breaking out, he needed insight into the Earthlings' intentions. And to do that, he had to first gain their trust. Being impulsive and uptight would not do.

So he spoke the truth. "I came to investigate some... rumors going around back home. But it seems that I've found the answer." He gestured to the iridescent specimen sitting between them. "You have a bit of Ektore's Crescent Stone here on Earth, far away from its origin. That might explain their sudden drop in birth rate, as you humans call it."

Immediately Yeosang bristled, concern etched across his face as he flashed his partner a desperate look. Hongjoong studied Seonghwa, gauging to see whether he would give a similar reaction and give light on what they were hiding – something guilty, perhaps? – but he maintained an impassive expression.

The man broke into a small grin, cutting through the thick tension like a knife in syrup. The mineralogist continued looking back and forth between his friend and Hongjoong, not daring to speak. "Well, looks like we're going to have to find out if that's true with some... experiments."

"Why did you take it from us without asking?" Hongjoong asked, keeping his calm.

Seonghwa leaned in closer, ignoring Yeosang's pleading hand on his arm. "Just like you, we're also investigating. Earth is vulnerable. We need to assess whether you might be a threat to us."