Target Locked // [Enhypen Mafia AU]

014

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—Chapter 14—

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When Jiseon awoke, she was immediately met with a stinging pain in her abdomen. She flinched and attempted to move, but something warm and heavy was draped across her body and her face was pressed against something soft. She inhaled sharply in surprise, a subtly sweet scent filling her nose.

She opened her eyes to see a wall of white which was falling and rising every so often. It was a person. She tilted her head back to be met with Heeseung's peaceful face mere inches away from hers. He was still asleep, a calm and serene expression gracing his features. His arm was thrown over her, keeping her body close to his while the other arm was tucked under his head.

The events of the previous day came flooding back to her. The phone call. The encounter with Ateez. Her brother's murder video. Heeseung stitching her wound. The wave of memories came with a hurricane of emotions.

Youngjoon...my baby brother. I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you.

Mom, dad. I failed you both. I failed to uphold the last promise I made to you before you passed.

How many more people that I care about must I watch die in front of me?

I have to protect Jake. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to him.

But what am I going to do? I can't risk leaving this place when everything's already begun to descend into chaos.

I don't know what to do-

"...seon...Jiseon!" Heeseung's raspy voice snapped her back to reality and she peered up at him. "I've been calling your name for awhile. Are you okay?"

Jiseon pondered this for a moment before choosing to just be honest. "No. I had a...run-in with Ateez yesterday. As you can tell, it did not go well. I suppose it's my fault for going alone." She let out a short, mocking laugh, then frowned. "They killed him. They killed my brother."

Heeseung's hold on her tightened at this. "I'm...so sorry."

"It's...fine, I guess. You get used to it after awhile." She played with the smooth fabric of his shirt. She was, in fact, not fine, but she refused to show that she was anything but. "I just...I can't let it happen to anyone else. Not after my parents..."

She trailed off and Heeseung just listened, silently urging her to continue. Jiseon wondered if she should even share such personal matters with him. But he did show genuine concern the night before and had done nothing to elicit any suspicion of bad intentions. And so she decided.