Ineffable 𓇢𓆸 || Jakehoon

🍂 Chapter 67🍂

Sunghoon's POV

The air felt thick, heavy with an unsettling quiet. It had been months since we first ran, months since the world as we knew it had been torn apart. Now, as November's chill crept into the edges of our hiding place, there was no denying it-spring was coming. The war, which had started so suddenly back in March, was still raging. We had learned to adapt to this new way of life, but the tension never eased. Now, with winter on its way, the cracks in our sanctuary were becoming too obvious to ignore.

"We can't stay here forever," Jake's voice broke through the silence. His hand brushed against mine, his fingers warm and steady, grounding me. He always knew how to find me, even when everything else felt lost. He didn't have to say much to make me feel like everything would be okay, even though I knew better than to believe that.

I shifted, glancing around at the group. Jungwon sat closest to the small fire we had managed to make, his brow furrowed in concentration as he poked the flames with a stick. Jay leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his usual cocky smirk replaced by a rare expression of unease. Niki, the youngest, had his head tilted to one side, looking up at the ceiling as if the answers were written there. Sunoo sat quietly, fiddling with the edge of his jacket, his thoughts a million miles away. Heeseung and Eunhee were huddled together, whispering low enough for only themselves to hear, no doubt discussing our next move.

"Jake hyung's right," Jungwon finally spoke, his voice calm but firm. "We need to find a safer place. This... this won't last."

"We've been moving constantly, Jungwon," Jay added, irritation lacing his tone. "Where are we supposed to go? Every place we've tried has already been compromised, or worse."

I rubbed my temple, trying to think. The constant moving had worn us all thin, but staying still wasn't an option. We'd learned that the hard way. "We can't just wait for things to get better. We need to leave before it gets any worse."

"We don't even know where to go," Niki piped up, his voice unusually small for his age. "Everywhere is dangerous now."

Sunoo sighed, glancing at each of us. "You think I don't know that? But if we don't find somewhere soon, we're going to get caught. It's just a matter of time."

Jake squeezed my hand tighter, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. "Sunghoon," he said softly, the weight of his gaze making my heart skip. "I know you're trying to figure it out, but we have to talk about what happens next. What if we don't find a new place? What if we can't keep running?"

I didn't have a good answer for him. "Then we fight," I said, my voice low but steady. "We fight until we can't anymore."

There was a long silence, then Heeseung hyung, always the voice of reason, spoke up, his words sharp but full of a quiet determination. "We need to consider every option. We're not just running away from the war; we're running toward something-a better life, a safe life. And right now, we don't have that."

Eunhee nodded in agreement. "We can't let fear stop us from moving forward. We owe it to ourselves to try."

"Yeah," Jake murmured, pulling me closer until I could feel his breath against my neck. "But I don't want to lose anyone, especially not you."

The words hit me harder than I expected. I'd spent so much time focusing on what we needed to do to survive, I hadn't really let myself feel the weight of what I was risking. I turned to him, my gaze softening. "You won't lose me. Not while I'm still breathing."

The group was quiet for a moment, the tension thick in the air. The wind outside howled, rattling the walls of the abandoned building we were hiding in. Somewhere, beyond the safety of our little sanctuary, the war continued, merciless and unforgiving.

"Let's figure out where to go," Sunoo finally said, standing up and brushing off the dirt from his pants. "We can't stay here forever."

"We don't have much time," Heeseung hyung added, his voice grim. "We need to leave before winter hits. Once the snow comes, it'll be impossible to travel."

Jungwon stood up too, his face set with determination. "We'll do this together. We always have."

"Together," I repeated, the word a small comfort in a world that had become so uncertain.

With a deep breath, I turned my attention back to Jake, who gave me a small but reassuring smile. Whatever came next, I knew I wouldn't face it alone. We all had each other, and that was the only thing that mattered anymore.