milk tea

03:20

"It's late though?" Serene thought out loud. Unable to continue wandering as she pondered about the situation, she gazed down at their conversation. "Do I have to go now or later?"

"When you're completely healed," a voice from behind responded to her question.

Jolting up, she spun around to see Shotaro standing behind her. Not even sensing his presence, she appeared agitated. The awkward silence they shared was getting more longspun as time passed.

"Does that answer your question?" Shotaro queried, tilting his head to the side insignificantly. He could sense that she wasn't comfortable chatting with him at the moment. "Well, if you want to say something, say it now before I leave you be."

"Can we train now? I want to be able to go on the battlefield when I'm perfectly recovered, so I want to practice as much while I'm recuperating," she pleaded. Although she could wait, she knew that she didn't have much time. Every second was precious in this gang. "Don't worry, I won't overwork myself."

"Are you sure about that? I heard from Haechan that you're planning to join the brains team," Shotaro murmured, attempting his best to look disinterested. He couldn't help but worry in secrecy. "That consists of Taeyong, Johnny, Kun, Doyoung, and Mark. Jeno and Chenle help out from time to time."

"Yeah, I'm sure. I considered it a lot while resting in the infirmary. I'm planning to give my all for this gang," Serene beamed naturally. The dimple on her right cheek started to show, which was new to Shotaro. It was the first time he saw it. "I'm not good with school. I have no future even if I pursue college. I won't even need to use the volume of shapes when I want to travel the world, will I?"

"You want to travel the world?" intrigued, Shotaro was gradually getting engrossed in their conversation. He didn't know that he had let his guard down while talking to her. "You like traveling?"

"Hmm, I think so. I just want to escape from reality even if it's for a split second," the sincere smile that captured Shotaro's attention was slowly dropping down. "Anyway, let's train?"

Breaking free from the trance he was in with Serene, he agreed falteringly. He led the way towards the training area in the basement. He headed to the cabinet where they stored their guns and handed one to the girl.

"Show me how you shoot," he directed. He accompanied her to the mini shooting range. It had three targets that were at least 15 meters away. "Shoot the one in the middle, then left, and finish it off with the one on the right."

Trying her best to follow his orders, she pointed the gun at the target. Firing the gun at the target positioned in the middle, she hit too low. It was a few inches below the center. Sighing, she was about to cock the gun but Shotaro prevented her.

"This is why you accidentally pull the trigger," Shotaro susurrated and fixed the way she handled the gun. His fingers on his left hand fixed her finger's position, moving it to stay pressed against the trigger guard. His right hand tightened around hers as he made sure that she held firmly on the grip. "Place your finger here when you cock your gun. Also, make sure you don't loosen your grip. I know it can leave your hand shaking after shooting, but you have to hold onto it securely."

"Oh, you have a point," the words that came out of her mouth made Shotaro unconsciously smile. She matched his instructions but his hands were still on hers. "Are you going to let go?"

"Right, sorry," he found himself losing his focus whenever he was with her. After apologizing, he watched her shoot the gun at the left target with better aim. It was better than before, but still lacking. "That's better. Try to get bullseye for the last target."

"I'll try my best," Serene spoke with uneasiness in her heart. She wasn't confident in shooting, not because she was scared, but because she hated the loud noise it made once it fires. After taking the shot, she was able to shoot the line before the bullseye. "I guess I need to practice more."

"You did well, though," Shotaro's compliment brightened up the sullen mood of Serene. He stood in front of her and glanced at her tired face. "Let's call it a day? I need to rest because I have a mission tomorrow."

"Oh, sure. Sorry for taking your time all of a sudden," Serene apologized. For some reason, she was out of it after the training session. She was unable to collect her thoughts at that moment. "I'll get going. Rest well, Ghostie."

"You too, Charms," Shotaro wished the girl well. He couldn't seem to understand her abrupt transition of moods. "Don't take it too hard, okay?"

A doubtful hum was the response of Serene. He believed that she wasn't going to take it easy. He could see that she was the type to push herself past her limits.

After reaching his zone, he slammed the door shut. He sat on the floor and massaged his temples. He could feel a headache coming from all the stress he had been experiencing.

"It's scary how you're making me worry, Inseol," he couldn't believe the words that escaped his mouth. Taking out the mini mirror in his bag, he studied himself. The eyes that were covered by white lenses reflected. Lost in thoughts, he remembered his past. He wanted to take out the contacts, but he would always poke his eyes in the process. "Forget it, I'll just go to sleep."

It was a lie to himself. He spent the whole night tossing and turning. Spending the entire night worrying about the health of the girl resulted in having panda eyes the next morning.

[ a/n: imagine the fbi going through my search history to see "parts of a gun", "types of guns", "vital points in the human body", and "types of poison" 😭 i can definitely explain 😔👎🏼 find me hiding under my bedsheets, fbi xoxo 😔 ]