THE8 | Junhao | *EDITING*

FORTY - SEVEN

| CHAPTER FORTY - SEVEN |

"He's a backstabbing, lying son of a bitch," Everyone's forced to watch Dino slam the pointer on the sheet, right between Minghao's projected eyes, "He ran away with a criminal, attacked Jun hyung, and shot our chief half to death. We won't sleep until we find him."

The room was silent.

Nobody really knew what to say. Almost everyone in the room had loved Minghao. He was the light of the station, just as Jun had said, so the immediate news of his betrayal was hard to soak in all at once.

"Oh come on, guys." Dino slumped his shoulders at how quiet the room was, "All this time he was fucking with us. He was using the station and it's technology and files for god knows what... S.Coups probably ordered him here to spy. He's clever like that."

"It's not that easy for all of this news to come to terms almost immediately, Dino." Joshua's the first one to break this god awful silence. He was leaned back in his chair, jacket on his lap. His face was blank, and he looked exhausted, everyone did.

"He shot our fucking boss! What could possibly be holding you back?!"

As for Jun, he was sitting in the corner near the back of the room, face blank, just as Joshua's, maybe even worse.

His heart was slowing by the moment, and his head was hung low. He focused on nothing but what the topic of discussion was, and how much it hurt that the station was even having it.

He shuts his eyes, breathing softly.

He hated this.

So, with a heavy heart, and a clenched jaw, Jun shoots up from his seat, not sparing anybody in the room a second glance. He ignores the confusion in Dino's voice as he shouts for him, and pushes open the door, not looking back.

He doesn't even remember driving to the hospital, he just remembers the bumpy roads, each indent and drop making his mind run more and more, thoughts and memories invading.

He's walking down the hallway now, hands in his pockets.

He sighs at the name on the clipboard that was tucked in the small box on the wall when he reaches it, sliding the door open with a blank face, one he wore way too often now.

Seungkwan turns his head with an immediate smile, "Junhui." He greets, watching Jun walk over with a forced grin back, eventually taking a seat in the chair next to the bed.

"How are you?" He asks his boss.

Seungkwan sighs, gesturing towards the hospital bed, "Same old, same old." He shrugs, smacking his lips. He turns to Jun, "Have you all gotten anything, yet?" Jun knows he's asking what the station's been doing, and he has to try not to internally break down for a second time.

"Same old, same old." Jun chuckles back with a sloppy smile. He eventually just shrugs, seeing Seungkwan's frown, "We haven't gotten anything since your incident." He tells Seungkwan, "We're doing.... everything we can to find him."

There's a pause, but the sudden hand on Jun's presses play back to reality. Jun raises his head, seeing the sympathy on his boss' face.

"I know you're hurting, Junhui." Seungkwan looks genuinely upset, and it's not making Jun feel any better, "Don't try to hide it. Don't try to hide anything from me... your unit.... yourself."

Jun takes in Seungkwan's words, swallowing.

He shrugs, and Seungkwan's heart breaks at the defeat in Jun's eyes, "Missing a criminal makes me one, doesn't it?" Jun chuckles through incoming tears, silent beads of emotion rolling down his cheeks.

Seungkwan shakes his head, holding Jun's hand tighter, "Don't beat yourself up." He pouts, "I know he meant much to you, anybody could see. You don't have to hide your feelings, Junhui. You're a person, you can feel openly, as much as you want."

"I just feel bad," Jun drops his head, shutting his eyes, "I feel so fucking bad for liking the person who made you this way, chief. Please, forgive me." He shudders, and Seungkwan's taken aback.

"Don't you apologize for liking someone." Seungkwan orders, Jun lifting his head, "Whether it's a random person, or a person who almost killed your boss. Don't apologize for liking somebody. It doesn't matter that he made me this way, Junhui. What matters, is how much he himself is hurting."

Jun stares at Seungkwan, disbelieved.

Seungkwan chuckles, "In fact, seeing Minghao that way made me realize that." He says, not catching Jun's confused gaze, "After seeing his determination to find his father's killer, no matter what he did, the need to help him was the only thing that ran through my mind," Seungkwan tells him, "Seeing his pain... Seeing the fear in his eyes of the possibility that he'd be betrayed once more.... Seeing the way his hands shook, his heart and mind scared to trust again."

There's a beat of silence.

"I envy him, Junhui." Seungkwan looks at Jun, smiling, "And it's funny how I do, he shot me twice not even a little while ago." He chuckles.

Jun just stares at Seungkwan, brows twisted.

"Minghao?" His tone was confused.

Seungkwan widens his eyes, "Oh..."