Hard to Love - (chanbaek)

107

They turned to the white-haired male whose face was covered with a black mask. They forced themselves to swallow down their worries and gathered enough strength to think about disarming the man. They knew they weren't as strong or skillful like he was in this sort of training but, they had to corner him somehow. Whatever he was here for, considering the gun aiming at them, it wasn't a friendly visit.

"Achlys. What are you doing here-"

"Get your hands off the door." He raised his other hand, alarming everyone as he pulled out another gun. He aimed it towards Junmyeon and glanced at the reaching hands. The older took a step back with a nervous sweat. Achlys pointed to the door, remembering how much time he has left. "The guards are passed out. The chloroform should stay in their system for about 20 minutes so let's do this quickly." They all looked at each other with confused stares. They swore they knew that voice. It was a little bit raspy to fully confirm their theory, but... it was too familiar.

"Where is Chanyeol?" Before any of them could answer respectfully, Jongdae took the matter into his own hands. Who was this guy to come in so recklessly and order them around? Jongdae didn't care if he was strong or important. They didn't know if he could be trusted. They needed to keep quiet until further notice. "We don't have to tell you anything!" The man hummed and tapped the gun against Jongdae's back. The younger seemed to remember his tricky situation judging by the sudden shiver crawling up his neck. Achlys pointed at the cups on the table before taking out a clear test tube.

"I poisoned all of the cups before your tea was delivered. You have about-" He checked his watch with a frown. "6 minutes before this antidote is useless." He eyed all of them with suspicion. It's too quiet. After hearing that, at least one of them should have said something but, not even Jongdae complained. It was way too quiet. They were definitely planning something-

Just as he began to suspect them, Jongdae quickly turned around and tried to get the gun out of the man's hold. Achlys pushed the gun up and bashed his weapon into the sharp chin. He pushed the younger away before dealing with the boy behind him. He could hear Jongin rushing his way. His platforms were stomping against the wooden floor, and the harsh sound was unsettling for the smallers ears. He ducked just as the younger reached him. He clenched his hand and slammed his fist into the toned stomach. He raised his hands and pointed both of his guns in their direction. His ears twitched at the small steps towards his left. He turned his head just in time to catch Tao right behind him with a knife. He pulled away once the blade aimed for his face. Thankfully it only grazed the front of his mask, but...

The touch was enough to loosen the thread behind his ears.

Their feet wobbled with shock and confusion. Was this truly happening? No... they must be envisioning all of this. Baekhyun isn't the one in front of them. That doesn't make any sense.

Baekhyun wanted to laugh. He covered his mouth and tried to swallow his tongue with a dull stare. He felt sick again. His stomach was curling with discomfort, and his eyes were beginning to water.

Everything seemed to be going wrong. Everything.

This whole entire time, he had been worried about his old friends finding out about his real identity. He thought he would break down the minute they found out and beg for their forgiveness. But here he was, without a care in the world about his revealed face. His old peers weren't on his mind. He had to find his family. That's all he cared about.