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Aiko & Heeseung
The group gathered in Heeseung's office, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Everyone was there—Jake, Jay, Sunghoon, Sunoo, Jungwon, Ni-ki, Yuna, and Aiko—sitting in a circle, the weight of Yuna's findings pressing down on them like a heavy storm cloud. Heeseung and Yuna stood in front of the group, their expressions grim, their bodies tense. They had just finished explaining the situation about Aiko's blood.
Aiko, sitting quietly in the corner, hadn't spoken a word. Her mind was spinning with the reality of what Yuna and Heeseung had just told them. Her blood—the thing coursing through her veins—was a weapon.
Jake, ever the joker, tried to lighten the mood, even though everyone else looked like they were about to walk into their own graves. "So, what you're saying is... Aiko's literally a walking nuke? Should we be calling her 'Weapon X' now or something?"
He cracked a grin, trying to bring a bit of levity to the somber room, but the joke fell flat. No one laughed. Not even a smile. The seriousness of the situation outweighed the awkward humor.
Heeseung shot Jake a look, his face deadpan. "Not the time, Jake." He turned back to the group, his voice firm but laced with an undercurrent of worry. "We can't joke about this. This stays within us. If this information gets out, even by accident, Aiko's safety will be jeopardized. We can't risk that. Not for anything."
The room was silent, everyone fully understanding the gravity of the situation. Aiko's life was now on the line, and the smallest slip could turn her into a target—by the Neomorphs, by anyone seeking to exploit her blood for power or weaponization.
"Wait, so what's the plan now?" Sunghoon asked, his voice barely hiding his nerves.
Heeseung took a deep breath, the weight of the decision settling on his shoulders. "We need answers. The only way to get them is to go to Genetech Labs. It's risky, probably one of the dumbest things we could do, but it's the only shot we've got. They're the ones who started all this. Maybe they know more about what's in Aiko's blood or how her mom might be connected."
A collective gasp rippled through the group. Everyone knew what Genetech Labs represented—the birthplace of all this horror. A place full of danger, secrets, and almost certainly death if they weren't careful.
"Genetech?" Sunoo muttered, wide-eyed. "Are you out of your damn mind? That's practically a death wish!"
Heeseung's face hardened. "I know. But what other choice do we have? We're sitting ducks right now. Aiko's blood might be the only thing that can save us—or destroy us if it falls into the wrong hands. We have to do this."
Silence.
Aiko still hadn't said a word. She was frozen in her seat, her thoughts racing. The idea of going to Genetech terrified her. The idea of being a weapon terrified her more. But most of all, the realization that she was a ticking time bomb scared her to her core.
