Inferno Hearts | Xu Minghao

12. Problematic

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

𝖉𝖆𝖓𝖎𝖊𝖑 𝖉𝖎 𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖑𝖔 - 𝖉𝖗𝖎𝖛𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖎𝖓𝖘𝖆𝖓𝖊

{𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖉 𝖚𝖕 + 𝖓𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖈𝖔𝖗𝖊}

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

"What do you mean you didn't find her?" the man's voice boomed, frustration and anger lacing his words.

"I swear, when I entered her apartment, it was completely empty!" the other man replied, his tone tinged with a mixture of unease and fear.

"The only thing I noticed was a package of ramen and a container of water on the kitchen counter, as if she had been preparing to cook. It seemed like she left in a hurry."

"You're all fucking useless!" The man's voice surged with anger, his frustration boiling over. "If you had located her in time, she'd be kneeling right in front of me by now.

But because of your incompetence, that bitch could vanish before you even lay a hand on her, you damn bastards!" His words echoed with a mixture of fury and desperation, a potent combination that hung heavy in the air.

"We're... we're sorry, sir. We truly don't understand how this happened," the other man stammered, his voice a blend of fear and uncertainty.

"All of you fucked this up. Get down on your knees, right now!" he demanded, his tone unyielding and commanding.

The trio of men who had been standing before him in a state of terror promptly sank to their knees. The fear that gripped them was so intense that it seemed to penetrate deep into their very bones.

Seizing the knife that lay upon the bar, the man loomed over them, his stance imposing and unwavering.

"So, who's going to be the first to give it a shot, huh?" he coldly inquired, his question laden with a merciless edge that brooked no hesitation.

Without a second thought, the man's resolve solidified. In a swift and brutal motion, he slashed the knife across the throats of all three men, their lives extinguished in an instant.

The room was engulfed in a chilling silence, punctuated only by the grim aftermath of his merciless act.

Lying in a pool of blood, the man cast a disdainful gaze upon the lifeless bodies of the three men. "If you had just done your damn job right, you wouldn't be lying here like this," he muttered, his words falling into the void.

He knew none of them would ever hear his condemnation now.

"Now I'll have to take care of my dear Nabi personally," he stated, his voice a mix of determination.

Meanwhile, a somber silence settled over the members' house, a palpable tension hanging in the air like a heavy cloud.

The atmosphere was thick with unease, each member acutely aware of the underlying turmoil that had taken root within their shared space.

Riddled with guilt over the events of the previous night, Hoshi found himself compelled to make his way to Nabi's room.

His steps were hesitant, a mix of apprehension and remorse driving him forward.

Hoshi's heart bore the weight of a painful memory as he stood outside Nabi's room. His thoughts drifted back to his own younger sister, who, at 17 years old, had endured her own battle with depression fueled by relentless bullying at school.