Vet's Heartbeat | Minsung |

3

The night was heavy with anticipation, the air thick with the scent of rust and rain-soaked concrete. Inside an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town, shadows danced under the flickering fluorescent lights. Minho stood at the center, along with his closest associates, Changbin and Seungmin. Tension crackled in the air as they prepared for what they hoped would be a simple exchange.

Minho, a known mafia figure famous for his cold demeanor, was heartless, if you dared to say so. No one knew what ran behind those thoughtless eyes; one wrong move, and you were done. He had quickly risen to the top due to his intelligence.

Minho glanced around, his instincts on high alert. “Keep your eyes peeled. We can’t underestimate these guys,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.

“Just seal the deal quietly.” Cautiously, they started walking toward the meeting room. An eerie silence filled the warehouse. Something was off. No one was there.

As they waited, the sound of their footsteps echoed through the empty space. Minho felt his pulse quicken. “Prepare the backup, Kim,” he muttered, adjusting his leather jacket.

Seungmin nodded, pressing his earpiece to alert the backups. The call ended immediately, the connection not reaching their base. “Boss, we cannot reach them.”

The deal was supposed to be straightforward—both gaining alliances and profit. But as the three exchanged wary glances, Minho sensed something was wrong.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Before he could react, Seungmin let out a sharp gasp. “Boss, look out!”

A sudden crash shattered the tension as the warehouse doors swung open, and a team of masked men flooded in, lights flashing and shouts echoing. Pieces of wood came flying, wounding them.

“Run!” Minho shouted, instinctively pushing the two toward the back exit. There were too many. The three of them couldn’t handle it. Chaos erupted as gunfire rang out, the sound ricocheting off the walls.

“Get to the van!” Changbin barked, adrenaline coursing through him as he fired back at the oncoming men. “We need to get out now!”

They fought their way to the back door, chaos unfolding around them. A scarred man lunged for Minho, but he was too quick, dodging the grasp and reaching for his gun. He took his time defending, but he lost the two.

He hurriedly exited and ducked into a narrow alley, breathless and soaked to the bone. Minho leaned against the cold brick wall, trying to calm his racing heart. "Boss! Where are you? We're at the van at the end of the road," Seungmin spoke through the earpiece.

"Go straight to the base. You need to act fast. Find the cause of this mess, I'll follow soon." He couldn't risk lives, the end of the road was too far from the alley. They had no time to lose.

"Yes, Boss! Take care." Seungmin knew that arguing was useless; their boss had already made up his mind. Despite the worry he felt for his friend, he needed to follow orders.

Heavy-hearted, they drove away from the warehouse.

____

As he tried to become one with the shadows, the gravity of the situation sank in. The plan had gone horribly wrong—the plan they had prepared was now in ruins.

Minho clenched his jaw, anger igniting within him. Rats. They would pay for this mess. He hated betrayal the most.

He made his way to the opposite end of the alley, exiting onto a peaceful street.

Finding a place to hide was harder than he thought. Most shops were already closed and locked. After a few minutes of walking, he stumbled across a clinic. It was quiet, the lights were off, and finally, it wasn’t locked.

He almost rolled his eyes; the owner must have been so carefree. A soft jingle bounced through the thin walls. The warm smell of citrus met his nose. It was oddly comforting after the previous chaos.

Clink! A sound echoed. Someone was inside. He was about to grab his gun when—

“Hello! Welcome to Paws & Claws Veterinary Centre!” A bright voice interrupted his thoughts. “Is the patient’s name—oh.” Cute

He turned to see a beautiful young man with curly brown hair neatly tucked away, big round eyes filled with innocence, and pouty lips. He was mesmerized.

Han Jisung, it read on the tag. Pretty name.

Minho felt the awkwardness and confusion radiating from the doctor; he appreciated the effort of starting a conversation.

"I can help with that… um, if you’d just follow me, haha.” Jisung began leading the way. Minho almost laughed. Almost.

____

After some of Jisung's clumsiness—adorable in Minho's eyes—the treatment was finally done. He couldn’t hear anything; he could only see Jisung’s lips move as he gave instructions.

Upon seeing the time, he realized he needed to go. “Thank you, bub. See you next time.” Oh, how naturally it slipped from his mouth. Calling him “bub” felt perfect. Oh, shit

Feeling slightly flustered by the sudden nickname, Minho quickly headed out, putting all the cash he could spare on the counter. Minho was disappointed stepping outside the clinic, but he had more pressing matters to tend to.

He hid behind a tree. "Pick me up at 6th Street, Silver Village," he called to the base. Soon enough, a car parked in front of him, revealing a worried Changbin. "To the headquarters."

I’ll come back again, pretty.