black cloud ¦ lee haechan

ch ; 33

- - ┈┈∘┈˃̶༒ 33 ༒ ˂̶┈∘┈┈ - -
Push and Pull

Weeks bled into one another, an unfamiliar stillness settling over the safehouse. Gone were the frantic huddles around the mission board, the adrenaline-fueled goodbyes exchanged in hushed tones. Kory found herself adrift in a sea of quiet, a gnawing skepticism twisting in her gut.

Was this a reprieve, a temporary lull before the next storm? Or had they finally deemed her expendable, a liability not worth the risk?

The thought sent a spike of icy fear down her spine. Being thrust into dangerous situations was unnerving, terrifying even, but the alternative – this stifling silence – felt like a slow descent into oblivion.

The metal spoon scraped against the chipped enamel of the bowl, the monotonous clinking echoing in the cavernous kitchen.

Kory forced another bite of lukewarm stew down her throat, the blandness mirroring the hollowness within her.

The ever-present disorientation clung to her like a shroud. Disconnected from the outside world, her phone a disassembled wreck courtesy of Andy's apologetic but firm intervention, Kory felt adrift in a sea of uncertainty.

The memory still sent a jolt of frustration through her – the childish tantrum she'd thrown, the way Andy had recoiled from her outburst, his eyes filled with a fear that surprised her. It had been a stark reminder of the power dynamics at play within NCTECH.

Initially, she'd imagined them as hardened criminals, devoid of any semblance of humanity. But the encounter with Andy had chipped away at that facade.

It seemed they were just as susceptible to fear and vulnerability as anyone else, operating in a morally ambiguous world where the lines between good and evil were blurred beyond recognition.

With a heavy sigh, Kory pushed the untouched bowl aside, the remnants of her meal doing little to quell the gnawing emptiness within her. The monotonous routine of the safehouse offered a fragile sense of normalcy, but it couldn't mask the growing sense of despair that clawed at her sanity.

Her gaze drifted around the spartan room – a stark contrast to the life she'd once known. The bare walls, devoid of any personal touch, served as a constant reminder of her captivity. A humorless laugh escaped her lips as she bounced on the thin mattress, the hollow sound amplifying the loneliness of her situation.

"Maybe I am going crazy," she muttered, her voice barely a whisper.

Collapsing back onto the mattress, Kory wrapped her arms around herself, seeking solace from the cold embrace of the room.

The unforgiving ceiling blurred above her, a silent witness to the storm raging within.

How had her life come to this? A dedicated detective, driven by a fierce sense of justice, now entangled with some of the city's most dangerous criminals.

In these forced weeks of introspection, Kory had been forced to confront the brutal realities of NCTECH.

She'd witnessed their ruthless efficiency firsthand, their actions as horrifying as they were coldly calculated.

Yet, beneath the surface, she couldn't deny a begrudging respect for their organizational prowess.

A complex mixture of revulsion and admiration warred within her, a reflection of the increasingly murky world she now found herself trapped in.

As she lay in the dim light of her makeshift bedroom, Kory wrestled with her anxieties.

The future stretched before her, an uncertain path shrouded in shadows. Before she could delve deeper into the rabbit hole of her worries, a rapid-fire knocking on the door shattered the silence.