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‼️ VOTE ENHYPEN ON MNET PLUS APP PLEASE.
Aiko & Heeseung
Aiko blinked, the weight of his words hitting her. She didn't know much about Heeseung's past, but she'd gathered bits and pieces from conversations. She didn't press him, though. Instead, she leaned her head back against the seat, the hum of the van filling the silence.
It was his turn again, but the mood had shifted. Heeseung broke the tension with a question that was more lighthearted.
"Alright, favorite place in the world?" he asked, his voice softer now, like he didn't want to go too deep again.
Aiko smiled. "London. I lived there my whole lifeI studied there for a few years. It's beautiful. The old buildings, the vibe, everything."
Heeseung chuckled. "I can't see you blending in with all the posh people."
She laughed. "I didn't! I stuck out like a sore fucking thumb, but I loved it. It felt like I could breathe, y'know? Like I could start over."
"Start over?" he echoed, glancing at her with curiosity.
She shrugged, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. "Yeah, like... I don't know. Like the world was so much bigger than I thought. And it didn't have to be the same shit every day."
Heeseung nodded, understanding more than she realized. "I get that. Sometimes you just need to escape."
Aiko looked over at him, really looked at him, and for the first time, she felt something she couldn't quite explain. The way the shadows played across his face, the set of his jaw, the way his hands gripped the wheel—it was all making her feel some type of way, and she wasn't sure what to do with it. She shifted in her seat, feeling that familiar tension creep up between them.
"Yeah... escape," she muttered, her voice a little softer, her eyes still lingering on him.
Heeseung, completely oblivious to her gaze, kept his focus on the road ahead. But then he asked, "Alright, next question. What's the one thing you'd do if the world wasn't, you know, going to shit?"
Aiko blinked, caught off guard by how casually he said that. She thought about it for a second before answering, "Honestly? Travel. I'd go everywhere. Europe, Asia, South America. Anywhere I could get lost."
Heeseung grinned, a real grin this time. "Same. I always wanted to just take off. See the world before it all... you know."
"Exploded?" Aiko finished, giving him a small smile.
"Yeah. Before all this fucking shit went down," Heeseung said with a chuckle. "But here we are. Driving through a wasteland, trying not to get our heads bitten off by mutant freaks."
"Hell of a vacation," Aiko muttered, shaking her head.
They lapsed into a comfortable silence for a moment, the weight of everything hanging between them. It was so easy to forget the danger they were in when they were like this—talking, laughing, feeling like normal fucking people for once.
But then Heeseung broke the quiet with a more personal question. "Alright, last one for me. What's your deal with love?"
Aiko froze, her heart skipping a beat at the abrupt change in topic. "What do you mean, 'my deal'?"
Heeseung glanced at her, eyebrows raised. "You know, like... what's your story with it? Ever been in love? What's your take on it?"
She laughed a little, though it was more out of nervousness than humor. "Fuck, that's a heavy one."
Heeseung grinned, clearly enjoying making her squirm. "Hey, you agreed to play."
"Yeah, yeah," Aiko muttered, running a hand through her hair. She wasn't exactly sure how to answer. Love was... complicated for her.
"I don't know," she finally said, shrugging. "Love's messy. I've seen it tear people apart more than it's ever brought them together. So, I guess I'm... cautious? I've never been in love, not the way people talk about it, at least."
Heeseung didn't say anything for a moment, just nodded like he understood. "I get that."
Aiko raised an eyebrow, curious now. "What about you? What's your deal with love?"
Heeseung huffed out a laugh. "Same as you. Messy as fuck. I've seen it break more people than it fixes."
Aiko smirked. "Wow, so we're both fucking cynics."
"Looks like it," Heeseung agreed, glancing at her again. There was something in his eyes, something that made her feel like maybe he wasn't as cynical as he let on. "But, I don't know... sometimes I think maybe it's worth the mess."
Aiko didn't respond right away, letting his words hang in the air between them. She felt that tension creeping up again, the way it always did when they were alone together for too long. She hated it, but fuck, she couldn't deny it either.
"What about you?" Heeseung asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You think it's worth the mess?"
Aiko swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry. "I... I don't know. Maybe."
Heeseung looked at her for a long moment before turning his attention back to the road. "Maybe."
There was something in his voice that made her stomach flip, and she couldn't help but wonder what the hell he was thinking. Was he just playing along with the game? Or was there something more? The air between them felt charged, like at any moment, one of them could say something that would change everything.
Before either of them could go further down that path, they were interrupted by a loud snore from the backseat. Ni-ki, of course, was the culprit, his head lolled back and his mouth wide open as he slept like a fucking baby.
Aiko laughed, the tension breaking instantly. "God, he's such a dumbass."
Heeseung chuckled. "Yeah, but he's our dumbass."
Aiko smiled at that, her heart feeling a little lighter. It was moments like this—where they could laugh and joke and forget about the apocalypse for a while—that made everything feel bearable. Even with all the chaos, the danger, the fucking unknowns, they still had each other. And that was something.
"Alright, enough of this serious shit," Aiko said, leaning back in her seat. "Let's just enjoy the silence before one of these idiots wakes up and starts talking about pissing themselves again."
Heeseung laughed softly. "Yeah, I'm down for that."
And so they drove in silence, the van cutting through the darkening landscape as the sun finally set. Aiko watched the stars start to appear, feeling a strange sense of calm wash over her despite everything. Maybe it was the quiet, or maybe it was just being next to Heeseung, but for the first time in a long time, she didn't feel so scared.
As they continued down the road, Aiko couldn't help but glance over at Heeseung again. He looked focused, his hands steady on the wheel, his jaw set in that determined way she'd come to recognize. He was a mystery to her, and yet, in some strange way, he felt familiar. Like she'd known him for longer than just a few weeks.
