𝑴𝑶𝑶𝑵𝑳𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻 2 ● ᴀᴛᴇᴇᴢ ꜱᴇᴏɴɢʜᴡᴀ

𝑿𝑰

And there she was, running outside the house to the road whilst holding tight to the syringe. She was huffing for air. Her back was constantly giving her chills and her brain played tricks with her, thinking that she was being followed by both Mingyu and the scientist.

"Ow !", Aera suddenly halts, holding her head as she looked at the person she bumped into. "S-Seonghwa.."

"Hey.. what's wrong ?", the latter smiled. Everytime he saw her made him remember the kiss they had that night. It made him happy, and he wanted to stay beside her even more.

Aera looked at him with a panicked expression and took his hand. Seonghwa was confused, slightly frowning at to why was she running. He could only catch a glimpse of a man in a white coat hiding behind a bush before Aera dragged him away with her.

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"So you're telling me this is what he was trying to insert inside of you and that this syringe's effect is unknown", Seonghwa speaks up, inspecting the syringe while making a weird face as he sat down on the couch.

"Yes.. Yes exactly", Aera replied, walking back and forth as she was still processing the accident. She was still shaken by it. Fortunately, she felt much more safer after Seonghwa brought her to Yeosang's secret cabin.

"Well he's a scientist, he may already have a permission or something.", Aera adds and that's where Seonghwa stood with a perplexed face. "What do you mean a scientist ?"

"I-- Seonghwa...-"

"It's my father, isn't it ?", Seonghwa cut her sentence, sighing right after as he ran his hands through his hair in anger. He wasn't angry at her not his father, but to himself. Couldn't he be loyal and protect Aera at all cost ? Isn't he really in love with her ? These questions dwelled inside Seonghwa's mind non-stop.

"Let's just let this go for tonight, alright ? Maybe we can get more informations tomorrow"

"Aera I really want to protect you", Seonghwa clasped Aera's hands into his. Now that they were alone, Seonghwa wanted to take the chance to confess to her.

"Seonghwa", Aera spoke softly before adding, "Just you beside me is enough to make me feel safe"

She chuckled, grazing her hands softly on Seonghwa's cheek. The atmosphere changed. What seemed to be a tensed and worried atmosphere, soon became soft and calm. Seonghwa was now convinced his love for Aera wasn't one-sided.

He snaked his hands around her waist, ready to touch her lips with his as both of them closed their eyes. However, their lips were inches apart until the door suddenly flung open.

Both Seonghwa and Aera pushed each other away and tried to pretend they were casually strolling the cabin.

"Hey guys, I hope we're not too late", Yeosang suddenly walks in with the rest of the ATEEZ members following behind. Aera looked at Seonghwa with a perplexed face and the latter soon understood her question.

Aera didn't know the other members would come and so Seonghwa said he messaged them in case she had something important to discuss altogether after her accident with his dad. She was embarrassed because she thought she could finally kiss Seonghwa again. Her cheeks blushed a tint of pink and red as she turned away to hide her face.

"What were you guys doing ?", Jongho asked.

"Oh we uhm-- W-Wanna listen to the radio ?", Seonghwa quickly changed the subject and the rest of them nodded. As Yeosang turned on the radio, a reporter was sharing a story of an unconscious guy injected with a dangerous supplement. The reporter further added the roads name and the type of house the guy was in. "That's... That's hyung's house.."

Everyone gasped when they further added the details of a pool of blood and the guy on the floor, a syringe still hanging loose on his left side of his neck and the type of clothes he was wearing. Aera being shocked, speaking up that that was Mingyu. How did he get injected ? His clothes and everything was similar to what he wore today and to what the reporter is describing the man.

The worst of all... "A very detailed sketch of a man wearing a white coat was described by one of the nearest neighbors that saw him running away from the road connected to the crime scene. Policemen are suspecting the famous scientist Mr Park, as this incident happened in his own house, netizens adding that he was probably used as a test subject. Scientists are still trying to identify this unknown dark substance injected inside the victim. The government advices everyone to stay safe at home and avoid going out at night. And if anyone spots Mr park, feel free to contact on us on our website.", the reporter stated.

"Didn't you day the substance was green ?", Mingi spoke, facing Aera as she nodded, replying "Yeah, the one he was trying to hurt me with was green but for Mingyu it's black... I guess there are 2 types of that substance"
It didn't take long for Aera to speak up and explain everything in detail to the guys. Except for Seonghwa, who was already aware of the accident. "So it means that Mingyu is still alive and is admitted to the hospital", San mutters, sighing right after they all learned about the matter. "And your dad is a suspect", Hongjoong speaks, facing Seonghwa. Seonghwa nods in agreement, shrugging indicating that he no longer cared about his father. After all, all of that he's been through, it was evident that the scientist wasn't his father any more.