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SS-3: Wave of Guilt

Sometime in February 2944

"Jongho, I think I'm in trouble,"

"What's wrong? You've never had issues such that you'd have to come to me before. "

"Well, that's because usually, the person I meet is completely unrelated to me. I date them for a while and then hand them over to the government, but Seonghwa- he's with Hongjoong and Hongjoong's known me for years. If I did anything to Seonghwa, he'd realised it. "

"You could follow the method. It wouldn't really matter... unless Wooyoung and San would speak up about it, " Jongho answered to a stress walking Mingi.

"I'm a terrible person. Why would I even involve him in this. No, he brought him to me. He shouldn't have brought Seonghwa." Mingi was venting to Jongho.

"Then you should have left it as a one night stand or something." Jongho answered.

"Watch your mouth!" He slammed his palm on the table.

"Seonghwa is one of them, but how am I supposed to take him out when there's someone so close to him." he continued.

"Just do as you always did. Break them up."

"Hey, Seonghwa isn't competition for me. Seonghwa definitely likes him, but I doubt Hongjoong sees him as something more than a child."

"If you break up with him, then you can take Seonghwa down easily. "

"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because I love him."

"You're in love? Ptt" Jongho side-eyed. "This isn't a time to joke Mingi. You're on your mission."

"HE CALLED ME MANGI. NO ONE CALLED ME THAT EXCEPT YUNHO AND MY MOM!"

"I'm sorry, but I don't even know the people you're talking about."

"You can leave one alive, right?" Mingi spoke to Yunho, who wasn't in the room.

"Do you -"

"You've got no right to talk. You literally kept San hidden from me for 2 whole years. Do you not feel guilt giving me advice to"

"OKAY, I get you point. Exceptions can be made. As long as the higher-ups don't know, it should be safe. The moment this becomes more than a secret -"

"It will end as a disaster. I might lose my job. How did you manage to keep it a secret?"

"Well, there aren't regular checks anyways, so I'd just sneak in a med or two if he got sick."

"And growth?"

"He was one of the war pieces, so he was 21 as soon as he bloomed. He bloomed in Wooyoung's bathtub. "

"How did they even find you?"

"Wooyoung's older brother is the husband of my older sister,"

"He's your brother in law??? I never knew!"

"Mingi, there's a lot of things I don't tell you,"

So it dawned upon him and Jongho and him were just colleagues for the past 5 years. Jongho did not want him to get added into his personal circle and Mingi respected that. He still never understood why Jongho, a kid who had just started high school, got recruited like that. Sure, he was also recruited in high school, but the circumstances were different. 

He had lost everything and with no place to go to Mingi was forced to join the government's team to eradicate these war machines. For the first year couple of years he did not go to school. He was in the government's care. They provided him with food, water, shelter, and all the basic needs. Someone he never got in those three years was a good friend. Most of them were filled with rage, and some even went insane. Mingi was glad he was mentally strong enough to get out of that place in three years.