ᴍʏ ɴᴇᴡ ᴍɪꜱꜱɪᴏɴ . ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛ ʜᴏᴍᴇ ² ᵃⁿᵈ ³

V. ᴄʜɪʟᴅ

The jeep stayed under the bridge for the entire night.

Everyone's adrenaline had worn off after their escape from the facility and ended up passing out in the car seats not even twenty minutes after parking where they were now.

Sung-hyo was the first to wake up, the sunlight of the morning shining in her eyes. She winced, using her left hand to shield her eyes. As she managed to open them, she noticed a pair of brown eyes gazing up at her from where the person still lay on her lap. 

His wing was also still there too, but Sung-hyo didn't mind. She smiled down at Hyun-su, everything from the night before returning to her.

Hyun-su smiled up at her too. And Sung-hyo knew, at that very moment.

"You remember, don't you?" Sung-hyo asked.

Hyun-su nodded, making Sung-hyo smile even more. Hyun-su slowly sat up, ensuring his wing also didn't accidentally pierce Ji-ji, who was asleep in the driver's seat.

Sung-hyo's arms were around Hyun-su slower than usual, seeing as Sung-hyo was still injured. Still being a human meant dealing with a slow healing. Nevertheless, Hyun-su's human arm embraced her back.

"How's your injury?" Hyun-su asked as they stayed hugging.

"It doesn't hurt much," Sung-hyo answered. "I can handle it."

Hyun-su pulled away, a look of apologies written on his face. "I should've done something. You were shot because we were together."

"I got shot because I tried to knock Ui-myeong down with a slab of wood, which I now realise was a little dumb," Sung-hyo bit the inside of her cheek. "You were pinned under a mirror and trying to heal an impalement he'd just given you. We were both in a situation, and I don't blame you for what happened."

Hyun-su's smile returned, this time filled with relief as he felt Sung-hyo's arms wrap around him again, but this time it was a little tighter, as if she was scared to let him go.

"I thought I lost you," Sung-hyo admitted, her voice muffled slightly due to her face resting against Hyun-su's shoulder. "When we found you... I thought you were dead. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," Hyun-su replied, close to crying as well. "I thought I'd never see you again. I realized how much you mean to me... and I wanted you with me when I walked into that facility."

"I would've been there in a heartbeat, if I'd had the chance," Sung-hyo exclaimed, now looking right at Hyun-su. She placed her right hand over his left cheek, wiping away some of the soot on his face.

It was then Hyun-su noticed something on that wrist. Taking her wrist in his hand, he brought it down, his suspicion being confirmed. The promise bracelet he'd wanted to give her. 

"You kept it..." he let out.

"Why wouldn't I?" Sung-hyo smiled. "I did just go into a burning down research facility to find you."

"Excuse me? Just you?" Ji-ji remarked, who'd now woken up and was giving his sister a look.

"And thank you, Ji-ji, for helping me," Sung-hyo smiled.

However, Hyun-su wasn't smiling like before.

"What's wrong?" Sung-hyo asked.

"They took your locket when they transported me inside," Hyun-su revealed. seeming to be very disappointed in himself for losing such a precious item. "I don't have it anymore."

"About that..." Ji-ji hummed. "One of the rooms I went in, coincidentally, happened to be where all this information about the monsters was kept. There were a bunch of opened drawers and safes... mostly broken open, by the looks of it, with items scattered everywhere, including..."