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დ .•*””*• ★ •*””*•.★.•*””*• ★ •*””*•.დ
After returning to HQ, Zoey was immediately put in extensive care, providing her with the equipment and treatment to heal progressively.
Taeyong went over phase two and informed the other members of the casualty they faced.
Phase two was a success, but the sweet taste of victory was rather bitter for them.
Currently, Renjun sat on a stool near the bedside of Zoey's sleeping figure. His hands grasped hers, rubbing circles along the back of her hand with his thumb. “I'm sorry...”, his voice was barely above a whisper.
Everything came back to him, the parts where he could've possibly stopped her suffering from happening. He blamed himself entirely for the events that went down that day.
Even for the things he couldn't control, he felt guilty. Renjun was in charge of watching her until she woke up, but he was also given the job of breaking the news to her.
More specifically, the news of Jaehyun's death.
Renjun let out a long sigh, subconsciously squeezing Zoey's hand. Her eyes fluttered open at the sudden squeeze as her eyes looked down at her hand. Renjun noticed her fingers twitch as he looked up, locking eyes with her.
“You're finally awake...”, he spoke softly, receiving a small nod in return.
The two sat in a comfortable silence before Zoey shifted in the bed, Renjun immediately standing up to help prop her into a sitting position. “How are you feeling?”, he asked with a small smile.
“Much better, actually.”, he nodded, his eyes looking down at his shoes.
He was starting to get nervous, knowing he'd have to tell her eventually, he started to play with his fingers.
Zoey noticed his strange behavior, finding him to be unusually quiet. “What's wrong?”.
His fidgeting stopped as he looked up to stare in her eyes. He gulped, preparing himself to break the news. “Umm... the mission was a success.”, he said, Zoey slowly nodding at his words. “Okay.”.
“But...”, Renjun continued, gaining her attention. “There was a... casualty.”.
Her gaze softened, noticing how nervous he was. Her hand reached over to grab ahold of Renjun's, giving him a reassuring smile. “It's okay, you can tell me. I can take it.”.
He slowly nodded, gathering the courage to tell her. “While you were in custody, Taeyong hyung and Jaehyun hyung took the task of assassinating the president.”, Zoey nodded, wondering where this was going.
“Well... they did kill the president, but... not before he shot Jaehyun hyung...”.
Zoey froze, her smile instantly dropping. Her blood ran cold as her heart began to beat out of her chest, fear taking over.
Renjun glanced over at her, analyzing her every expression, but there was nothing. Her gaze was blank, masking her emotions.
“He-”, “You don't have to tell me. I already know where this is going.”, she said, not showing any sign of emotion. “Right.... I'm so sorry, Zoe. I wish I could've been there to stop it.”.
“It's not your fault, Jun. You weren't even there....”, she said softly, a single tear slipping out.
Renjun's gaze softened as her voice cracked while comforting him. He knew she was trying to hide her feelings.
Renjun let out a sigh, taking a seat on the side of the bed, before pulling Zoey into a warm embrace.
“It's just me, I won't judge. Let it all out. It'll be our little secret.”, Zoey hesitated at first, before it all changed in a split second.
She gripped onto the sides of his shirt, tightly, as she broke down completely. Her sobs were loud and full of agony as Renjun brought his hand up to her back, moving his hand along her back in a circular motion.
He wasn't always the best at comforting, but he was hoping she felt comfortable letting it out and being vulnerable around him. It gave him a sense of acceptance, knowing she felt safe with his presence.
Renjun opened his mouth, the soothing sound of his voice bouncing off the walls as he sang her a lullaby.
“You're my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skys are grey. You never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away...”.
Zoey softly chuckled, feeling his choice of lullabies was rather unsuiting, but regardless, it brought her comfort. Her only relative was now deceased, she didn't know how to feel about it.
She closed her eyes, taking in the calming scent of his cologne. Renjun knew her pain, he also lost someone once before.
Really, they all have. Every single member. But as the only member who was born into the lower class, he felt that his comfort would be better appreciated.
He wanted to be someone she could relate to, someone she could turn to. Someone who held importance to her.
Maybe it was selfish, but he also wanted to be someone she loved and cherished, someone who she was willing to spend the rest of her life with.
A feeling in which he wished would've come sooner. The feeling of loving and being loved.
Renjun was in love with Zoey.
“Jun..?”, “Hm?”, “Thank you...”.
Renjun smiled warmly as Zoey slowly backed out of his embrace. She looked up, staring into his eyes as an unknown feeling grew in the pit of her stomach.
There were seven of them. The seven she survived with. They spent four days fighting for their lives, that alone brought them closer.
She felt a deep connection with each of them, but for a few in particular, she sensed more than that. Something she wasn't sure she was ready for. Love.
She knew that eventually she'd have to make a choice, but for now, her mind was deadset on retaking their country, freeing it from the control of the government.
Until that was over, her big decision was the least of her worries.
A light knock on the door gained their attention as Chenle peaked his head in from the other side of the door.
“Dinner's ready- Oh! You're awake!”, Chenle smiled widely, walking into the room until his arms gladly wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a hug. “Nice to see you too, Chenle.”.
The three of them chatted for a little until they walked over to the cafeteria, joining the others for dinner.
Though Jaehyun's absence was very noticeable, she pushed it past her. She had to stay strong, not only for herself, but to get revenge for her older brother.
She will end things, even if it costs her life. The government will fall.
დ .•*””*• ★ •*””*•.★.•*””*• ★ •*””*•.დ
Okayyyy
How are y'all feeling about this? Have you switched teams yet? ^-^
