HEE:LIFT | TXT & Enhypen

~ twenty-three ~

Break-In (Round Four) || 2/2

"Hurry up, guys. You're so slow."

"Shut it, Beomgyu. We're going as fast as we can."

"Well, go faster; my back hurts. This closet is so much smaller than the one on the seventh floor."

Yeonjun rolled his eyes, muting their end of the phone call with Beomgyu. "Should've brought Taehyun instead."

"We would've been home by now if we did," Heeseung sighed regretfully. "I'm done with this set, by the way."

He neatly tucked a stack of files back into the drawer from which they came.

"We have one more pile after this one," Yeonjun informed, spreading the next round out on the CEO's desk.

Heeseung snapped picture after picture of the files, checking each one to ensure it wasn't blurry.

"These phone cameras are quite good nowadays," he remarked.

"What are you, a grandfather?" Yeonjun laughed, organizing the final batch. "Why'd you say it like that?"

Beomgyu's voice sounded from Yeonjun's pocket. "He's coming; he's coming. He just left the elevator."

Heeseung hastily took photos of the remaining files before working with Yeonjun to put them away. They crouched behind the desk, struggling to get the drawer back into place.

"You just had to play with the screws last night," Heeseung grumbled, rubbing his aching hands.

"Twenty meters away," Beomgyu warned. "I... I don't think he's completely sober right now."

"Fuck," Yeonjun whispered, making another desperate attempt to shove the broken drawer into its spot. "I did my job too well."

"He's opening the door; he's opening the-"

Heeseung ended the call with Beomgyu as the office door creaked open. He and Yeonjun sat hidden behind the desk, praying the CEO would just poke a head in and leave.

Unfortunately, the room was already dead silent when the drawer clicked back into place.

Yeonjun flinched, biting his lip. His eyes told Heeseung everything he needed to know.

"You run," the older boy mouthed. "I'll distract him."

Heeseung shook his head, grabbing Yeonjun's hand.

"Stay together," he mumbled, barely able to hear his own voice.

The CEO slowly shuffled in, his feet dragging against the ground. Yeonjun nudged Heeseung, and they noiselessly pivoted around the desk, staying out of sight. The smell of alcohol settled over the two boys as the CEO stood where they had been just moments ago.

Heeseung hugged his knees, his back pressed flat against the front of the desk. He tried to control his panicked breathing, staring out into the hallway that promised freedom. Had the CEO not been drunk, they would've most certainly been caught by now.

Yeonjun tapped his arm, signaling they should run on three. He must've sensed how scared Heeseung was because he clasped their hands together reassuringly.

"Trust me," he whispered.

"I trust you," Heeseung murmured back.

They readied themselves.

"One," Yeonjun breathed. "Two. Th-"

An ear-splitting crash resonated through the hallways.

Heeseung froze, feeling Yeonjun tense up beside him as well. The CEO ran to investigate, moving so quickly that he missed the two boys crouching on the ground in front of his desk.

"Christ, that better not have been Beomgyu," Yeonjun groaned once the CEO was out of earshot.

He wasted no time dragging Heeseung to his feet, and they sprinted out of the office, heading straight for the stairwell. The duo carefully hopped down each flight, stopping before the first floor to catch their breath.

Heeseung put his sweatshirt's hood up while Yeonjun dug around his bag for face masks. They casually slipped into the lobby, taking a seat in the waiting area as if nothing had happened. It was still storming outside, and multiple strangers sat quietly on their phones, patiently waiting for the rain to let up before attempting a wild dash to their cars.

"And now, we wait for Beomgyu," Yeonjun announced, checking his watch. "I'd say this was a success. It's only nine-thirty."

Heeseung nodded tiredly, his leg still shaking from adrenaline. Pain shot through his head, and he winced, unable to hide his discomfort.

Yeonjun grabbed his arm, eyes wide with worry. "Are you okay?"

Heeseung felt his face turn red as he sat up, realizing Yeonjun had prevented him from completely slipping out of his chair. He tried to laugh it off. "Yeah, I just need to eat something."

Yeonjun dug around his pockets, pulling out a crumbled granola bar. "It's all I have on me, sorry."

He attentively watched Heeseung eat it. Five minutes passed, and then ten, but there was still no sign of Beomgyu. Yeonjun threw the granola wrapper away as Heeseung texted the missing boy's phone.

Ding.

A familiar hooded figure burst out of an elevator, twisting and turning to escape the grasp of a security guard.

Heeseung jumped to his feet. "What did you do?!"

Several heads turned their way, to which Heeseung paid no attention.

Beomgyu gave a hard tug and fell to the floor, finally free from the guard's clutches. He ran into the maze of hallways, only to get tackled moments later. Heeseung and Yeonjun raced to help.

"It wasn't me, I swear!" Beomgyu wiggled around desperately, ducking and dodging the security guard's attempts to handcuff him.

"Hyung, get the car," Heeseung instructed, working with Yeonjun to pry Beomgyu away from his captor.

Yeonjun nodded, seizing Beomgyu's arm and dragging him towards a side door. An alarm went off as soon as he cracked it open, and wind forced its way inside, whipping at their faces. Lightning flashed, briefly illuminating the entire hallway.

"Not again, you little shit," the guard growled, lunging for Beomgyu. "Get back here!"

Heeseung held their pursuer back, too distracted to fully register what was said. Again? Had Beomgyu met the guard before?

"Wait, your phone! You have the pictures!" Yeonjun gestured at Heeseung's pocket, propping the door open with his foot.

"What? Oh!" Heeseung adjusted his grip, remaining a burden on the guard as he pulled his phone out. "Catch!"

He chucked the device at Yeonjun, praying it arrived safely. The guard's waving arms slapped it out of the air.

Heeseung watched his phone hit the floor, shattering into a million pieces.

He blinked.

No.

His phone was still in his hand.

He slid it over to Yeonjun, and just like that, everyone was gone.

"Hello?"

Heeseung wandered the endless hallways, unable to find his way back. The white lights hurt his eyes, growing brighter and brighter until all of a sudden-

"Heeseung!"

Yeonjun slapped him. "Wake up!"

The ground was oddly bouncy, like the rear seat of a minivan.

Heeseung opened his eyes. "Hm?"

He shivered, vaguely aware of his sodden clothes and damp hair. Somewhere far away, a car started up. Black spots swam across his vision as the adrenaline drained from his body. The last thing Heeseung could remember was Beomgyu's panicked face staring down at him.