Veiled Intrigues | Taehyun

t w e n t y

Hours had passed since she had finished eating, and Haneul had become more restless by the minute. It had been agreed that she would contact Yeonjun as soon as she had consumed everything that Kai had placed in front of her. But upon inspecting the burner phone, she didn't find a single number saved on it.

Which was aggravating to say the least. Since she didn't know Yeonjun's number and it was very likely that Beomgyu's phone had been discarded somewhere. So, for now, all she could do was stay in that safe house with two criminals that were somewhere around the residence doing who knows what. Whilst also waiting for Yeonjun to contact her with any information.

Rest had helped, but there was still a gnawing urgency in the back of the guard's mind. Haneul couldn't afford to stay still for long and yet that's all she could do here. The burner phone lay beside her on the couch, silent. Frustrated, she stared at it, willing it to ring. But it didn't.

She let out a long, exaggerated sigh, throwing her head back onto the couch. This seemed to be the longest time that she had just sat there and done nothing. She had to move around; do something. Feeling restless, Haneul made the decision to push away the thoughts of everything else and focus more on the small, immediate goal of getting up.

Which was impossible due to the fact that, A, she could do nothing but think about literally everything that had gone wrong. And B, she could barely even move without the stitches pulling and causing constant discomfort.

And yet, Haneul somehow managed to stand. She shifted her weight onto her uninjured leg, steadying herself against the arm of the couch as she stood. The room tilted slightly, but she forced herself to take a step, then another, until she was limping her way towards the door.

Haneul knew nothing about the place. Aside from the room she was in, the interior was entirely new to her. She knew that there had to be a bathroom somewhere though and she needed to freshen up, feeling extremely icky in the clothes that she had been wearing for over a day now.

That was another thing. She took a mental note that if she were to come across either Kai or Taehyun, she'd ask if they had some clothes spare.

Opening the door, she looked out into the empty place. The hallway stretched before her, dimly lit and lined with worn, peeling wallpaper. Her footsteps were quiet, the creak of old floorboards muffled by the thin layer of dust that had settled over everything. Each step sent a jolt of pain up her leg, but she pressed on, determined to find either the two boys or the bathroom.

As she neared the end of the hallway, she passed a room with its door slightly ajar. The movement within caught her attention, and she almost let out a sigh of relief, glad that she didn't have to walk too long.

Haneul peered in, opening her mouth to say something but she paused, the words stuck in her throat.

What she saw, was Taehyun standing near the bed, his back to her. There were fresh bandages and a First Aid kit lying on top of the bedsheet. Meanwhile, the thief was in the process of removing the bandages that had been wrapped around his ribs, his movements slow and deliberate, as if even the slightest jolt might send a ripple of pain through his body. The room was dim, the light from the window casting long shadows across his figure. But it was enough for her to see the details—the curve of his spine, the muscles shifting beneath his skin as he carefully peeled away the fabric.