Answer ||| Ateez

44

For Seonghwa, the next several seconds felt like an eternity while he waited for the doors in front of him to open.

On the other side of it was the greatest opponent he would ever face. One who directly threatened the man he had fallen in love with and the group of men who had accepted him despite his past and all his flaws.

But, on the other side of the door was also the man who had raised him, who had loved him in his own way, and who had promised him a life full of everything he had every wanted.

And to some extent that had been true. Seonghwa had grown up getting everything. He never had to worry about food on the table or his father saying no to something he wanted.

There was no doubting the affection his father held for him, too. While work was a priority, he always made time for Seonghwa, whether it was having meals together or teaching Seonghwa how to fight, shoot, and drive, they had what could be considered a fairly standard father and son relationship.

How was he supposed to kill the man who raised him?

Seonghwa felt like he was being torn in half. What was he supposed to do? Why did he have to be so weak...?

With his next inhale, the doors opened, swinging inward and revealing his father's office.

Jongho walked inside and waited until he was in the middle of the room before dumping Wooyoung on the floor.

Seonghwa moved to hurry forward but he was held back by the Pack member behind him. A small grunt escaped him and he was prepared to struggle, but another movement forced him to pause.

A chill fell over the room as Mercer rose from his desk. He looked just as calm and collected as he always did, falling under the mask he had taught Seonghwa to perfect. Giving away any sign of emotion was deadly.

He took a moment to scan the room, taking in each person one by one.

"Is this all?" His eyes narrowed just enough that most would miss the action, but Seonghwa could see immediately that his father was upset.

So his mask was as perfect as he thought.

Jongho opened his mouth to speak while looking over his shoulder, then paused. "Where is the other one?" He turned to one of the other Pack members. "What happened?!"

Everyone started shuffling around a little and a few of the members tried to utter excuses. The fact that they hadn't noticed Yeosang slipping away was a blessing up until now, but now it would only serve to push his father over the edge.

"Fools!" His father slammed his hands against his desk, capturing everyone's attention. "FIND THEM!"

Several men and women ran from the room, barking orders at each other as they went.

"There is only one missing, Sir." Jongho turned back around and bowed his head. "He must have slipped away when this one," he nudged Wooyoung with his foot, "Started to cause a scene."

Mercer's eyes flicked down and the room became even colder as a truly malicious smile twisted his face. "Ah, my little pet." Venom laced his words. Each step he took brought him closer to the object of his obsession.

Seeing this man... this monster... Seonghwa wouldn't stand for it.

"Don't you dare touch him." Seonghwa hissed. He tried once more to pull away from his captor, but his words alone had done the trick.

His father stopped in his tracks and finally met Seonghwa's eyes. For a moment, it almost looked like there was pain in the dark gaze, but Seonghwa threw up walls around his heart to protect himself.