When they finally reached the base, Jaehyun exhaled shakily — the kind of breath that trembles out after holding in panic for too long.
His body trembling with the lingering adrenaline, chest rising and falling rapidly, his pulse still thundered from the warehouse, the images replaying behind his eyes— his sister’s trembling hands, the blood, Taeyong’s last command: “Get her out of here.”
Relief bled through his exhaustion.
His sister, however, wasn’t calm at all. She blinked, weak and disoriented, trying to piece together what had happened. Her eyes wandered around the driveway, scanning every wall, every light. There was something achingly familiar about the place — like a half-forgotten dream clawing at the back of her mind. But when she tried to hold onto the memory, it slipped away.
Jaehyun turned in his seat searching for her eyes- his voice soft but trembling with concern. “YaYa… hey. You okay?”
Her eyes flickered toward him, blinking at him dazed, overwhelmed by dizziness and pain. “Y-yeah… I just… my head hurts,” she whispered, her voice frail, barely audible. Her words slurred slightly, the exhaustion pulling at her.
The way she said it — weak, lost — made something inside him twist.
Jaehyun gently lifted her chin, turning her head slightly to inspect her wound toward the light- careful not to make her wince, brushing stray strands of blood-stained hair from her pale face, grimacing when he saw the gash at her temple- A faint cut, already crusted with dried blood.
“You’ve got a nasty cut,” he murmured, brushing away dried blood with his thumb.
“Come on — we’ll go inside. Hyung can take a proper look at it. He will fix you up, okay? He’s good at this..”
Jaehyun said, trying to inject calm into his voice. He gave her a reassuring smile, though his worry was impossible to hide.
The girl's nod was slow, almost mechanical, her body trembling as if she had only seconds of strength left.
He climbed out and rounded the car, slipping an arm around her shoulders, supporting her fragile frame - half-carrying, half-guiding her out of the car, toward the door.
She leaned heavily against him, barely able to lift her feet, her breaths shallow.
Each step was cautious, his hands tight around her waist to prevent her from collapsing, murmuring soft reassurances every time she stumbled.
She was lighter than he remembered— almost too light. He caught himself glancing at her every few seconds, just to make sure she was still breathing steadily.
Together, they crossed the threshold of the villa.
Inside the house, the familiar walls seemed suddenly like a sanctuary to Jaehyun, while his sister leaned against him, exhausted and shaky.
“HYUNG!” Jaehyun’s voice cracked through the quiet hall- hus voice sharp with panic and urgency.
Two figures appeared at the top of the staircase — Kun and Ten.
They rushed down, eyes wide with alarm, their faces snapping from confusion to concern, when they saw his pale face and the girl leaning heavily against him.
“What happened?” Kun demanded, voice urgent, already scanning her injuries.
“She’s injured! Can you help her? Please!” Jaehyun’s tone cracked, pleading, his heart hammering.
Kun’s expression softened. “Of course.”
He reached for the girl’s hand — gentle, careful, to scan her injuries — but she recoiled instinctively, terror still etched across her face, a flash of fear in her eyes.
It wasn’t mistrust, not really. It was the reflex of someone who’d been held down too many times.
Kun flinched back surprised by her reaction. “I won’t hurt you,” he said gently, lowering his tone, voice soothing. “I promise..." He raised his hands as if surrender in a fight, showing her he has nothing that could harm her. "You can trust me,” his hand extended slowly.
His smile was calm — a quiet promise rather than a reassurance.
