D.E.B.S - Husseyz ✔

[13] Kidnapped

Danielle's screams filled the air as she slid into some sort of chamber beneath the bank's vault. As she crashed onto the floor, her body was cushioned by the numerous bags of money piled on the floor. She met eyes with Minji, who was waiting for her as she flashed her an expectant smile.

"What are you doing here?" Danielle questioned, unamused. She was still momentarily dazed and disoriented from the fall. "I just– I just wanted to apologize for last night," Minji stuttered. "I was sorta out of line," she chuckled sheepishly as she scratched the back of her neck.

Danielle exhaled deeply before scrambling to get up on her feet. "You have to release them!" she told Minji in a stern tone, her words reflecting the voice of a mother reprimanding her child. "Who?" asked Minji in genuine confusion. "The hostages!"

"And put back the money," she commanded, "This thing has gotten way out of hand!" Minji watched as the latter pinched the bridge of her nose out of stress, trying to make sense of the situation.

Minji remained silent, avoiding direct eye contact and offering no explanation or response despite Danielle's commands. She was still scratching her nape nervously as she thought of what to say. "Don't you understand? I can't be here," Danielle spoke up, growing impatient. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stress you out," Minji apologized, noticing the tension visibly etched across Danielle's face. "I'm not stressed out!" Danielle snapped, shouting into Minji's face, causing the girl to stumble backward in surprise. Yup. She definitely was.

Realization dawned on Danielle, and her face flushed with embarrassment as she muttered, "I am such a freak," her words covered with self-deprecation. "You must think I'm such a freak," she continued, to which Minji instantly shook her head no. "I don't," she reassured.

After regaining her composure, Danielle took the opportunity to apologize. "I'm sorry I wigged out last night." Minji nodded in understanding as she whispered words of assurance, trying to convey that it was alright. "I just don't want you to get the wrong idea, Minji."

"I mean, I really like you."

"Right..."

"But I don't like like you," Danielle explained. Minji nodded once again, taking a few seconds to respond as she tried to gather her thoughts. "Y- Yeah. I figured. That's why I brought you here so we could, you know, sort of clear the air between us."

It was really because Minji had this constant need to see the girl, she was more than willing to go through and do reckless things just to be with her.

Still wanting to express her appreciation, Danielle said. "Well, it was really sweet of you to go to all this trouble," she gave Minji a sweet smile. "-to shoot and all." Danielle laughed quietly, trying to lighten up the mood with some humor. "But my friends are gonna wonder where I am."

"No, they're not," Minji stated matter-of-factly, trying to conceal a smirk that threatened to form on her lips. "Why?" Danielle narrowed her eyes as she looked at Minji with suspicion. "No reason," she replied innocently as she gave Danielle a cheeky grin.

After thinking for a short while, Danielle came to a troubling conclusion: Minji had likely set up some sort of trap in the vault that could potentially harm her friends. "Minji!" Danielle scolded, her mind racing with unease. "It's not like they're gonna die or anything," Minji responded, trying to laugh the situation off. "Let them out. I'm serious."

The way Danielle looked at Minji seemed to cast a spell on her, captivating her. It made it impossible for her to resist giving in to Danielle's pleas. "Okay. Fine," she said defeatedly, pulling out a remote before tapping a few buttons. "Booby trap deactivated. Happy?"

"That wasn't funny."

"It was kind of funny," Minji giggled at Danielle's disapproving look. The blonde just shook her head, "I can't. I gotta go."

Before she could even walk away, Minji gripped Danielle's arm firmly, preventing the girl from leaving. "No, no. I'll go," she insisted. "Look, I understand that this whole thing isn't gonna work out between us," Minji kept a stoic facade to mask her disappointment as she spoke. "-because, obviously, I misinterpreted the situation. But I just want you to know..."

"Last night was the most alive I felt in a while."

Danielle silently agreed. Last night was the most free she felt in a while. She was away from Jerry, free from the watchful eyes of everyone else. She felt a sense of freedom with Minji that she hadn't experienced in a long time. Talking to Minji felt as if the entire world had faded, leaving only the two of them in their own little bubble.

"So I guess I'll see you around the same... bat-time or whatever." Minji bid her goodbye and this time, she was the one being pulled back as she tried to make her exit.

And though it was hard to accept, Danielle wanted Minji.

Danielle stared at Minji, her eyes were an ocean of unspoken depths of emotions and longing. Without uttering a single word, she leaned in and captured Minji's lips with a passionate kiss that Minji wasted no time reciprocating. It was a gesture that spoke volumes in its intense yet tender nature, a gesture that harbored all of Danielle's unspoken words.

The moment they pulled away, Minji gently spoke, "Come with me." Danielle's gaze locked onto Minji's, and in that moment, the villain felt her heart stir, an unmistakable sense of falling deeply in love. "Come on," she urged. "What do you have to lose?"

"Everything." Danielle fought back the tears that brimmed in her eyes, overwhelmed with emotions. She rested her forehead against Minji's, taking a moment to relish the comforting warmth that enveloped them, finding solace in their shared connection.

...

Haerin busted through the entrance to the chamber, the other two girls following closely behind as the trio tiptoed into the room quietly. Hyein's eyes suddenly widened as she spotted a table nearby littered with small diamonds, the same diamonds they had seen in Les Deux Amours. Along with...

Danielle's necktie.

Her eyes then fell onto the wall in front of them.

The words scrawled on the wall sent chills down their spines. "I HAVE THE GIRL!" was written in bold, red spray paint, leaving no room for misinterpretation. The air seemed to thicken as the girls gasped in shock. "Shit," Haerin muttered in panic. "Minji Kim has Dani." The realization hit them like a ton of bricks, and realization dawned that their friend had been kidnapped by a world-renowned villain. Yet... Hanni remained skeptical.