Deep End | Hyunlix

32

The ride back to Seoul felt like it lasted an eternity. Felix slouched in the passenger seat, staring out the window as the city skyline grew closer. I.N.'s voice filled the car, his tone sharp and persistent as he lectured Felix for disappearing overnight without so much as a text.

"Hyung, you're not even listening to me, are you?" I.N asked with a sigh.

Felix rested his temple against the cool glass of the window. "I heard you," he muttered. "I know it was reckless."

"Reckless doesn't even begin to cover it," I.N. snapped, his knuckles tightening on the steering wheel. His voice carried an edge, but Felix could hear the concern buried beneath the anger. "Do you have any idea what went through my head when you didn't answer your phone? After everything that's happened to you, and after that kidnapping? What were we supposed to think?"

Felix sighed heavily, leaning further into the window. "I told you, I'm fine. I wasn't in danger."

"Fine?" I.N. scoffed, his voice rising. "You disappear to Incheon with some guy we barely know anything about? Do you even hear yourself?"

Felix closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn't have the energy to argue, not when his mind was still tangled up with thoughts of Hyunjin. "I.N., I don't have the energy for this."

"You never do when it comes to stuff like this," I.N. shot back, his frustration bubbling over. "You think you can just shoulder everything on your own, don't you? But what happens when you can't? What happens when...."

"I said I'm fine," Felix cut him off, his voice colder than he intended.

The tension in the car thickened, neither of them speaking for a moment. I.N.'s lips pressed into a thin line as he focused on the road, the silence more suffocating than Felix anticipated. He didn't mean to snap, but the weight of the night and the younger's words pressed heavily on him.

As the city skyline began to rise in the distance, I.N. broke the silence again, his voice quieter this time. "Look, hyung...I'm just trying to understand. Ever since we got you back, you've been distant. You act like everything's normal, but it's not. It's like you're trying to outrun something, and I don't know how to help."

Felix kept his gaze on the approaching city, unable to meet I.N.'s eyes. "I'm not trying to outrun anything," he said, though the words felt hollow even to himself.

I.N. glanced at him, a mix of worry and exasperation in his expression. "You don't have to do this alone, you know. You've got us, you've got me. We're your team, hyung. Trust us to have your back."

Felix didn't respond, his thoughts too tangled to form a reply. The truth was, I.N. wasn't wrong. The cracks in his will had been growing wider, and the more he tried to patch them up, the more they seemed to spread.

When they finally pulled into the compound's underground garage, Felix let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. The familiar surroundings should have brought him comfort, but instead, they only reminded him of the responsibilities waiting for him inside.

I.N. parked the car and turned to Felix, his serious gaze softening slightly. "I mean it, hyung. Don't shut us out."

Felix nodded faintly, opening the door and stepping out without another word. He knew I.N. meant well, but he wasn't ready to let anyone see just how deeply the past months had shaken him.

The compound buzzed with activity, the low hum of voices and the clatter of keyboards filling the air. Felix barely had time to shake off his exhaustion before Chan spotted him.

"Felix," Chan called, his expression a mix of relief and frustration. "Glad to see you in one piece."

Felix nodded, following Chan down the hallway and into the familiar space. His mind still heavy with the weight of the night. The doubt, the frustration, the lingering thoughts of Hyunjin, they all swirled together creating a storm in his mind he couldn't escape.

By the time they reached the briefing room, Felix was no closer to sorting through the mess in his head. Right now, there were bigger things at stake. And no matter how tangled his own thoughts were, the mission had to come first. The walls were lined with case files, maps, and photos, all centered around one goal: dismantling the elusive Snake Eye Gang and their leader.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do," Chan said, closing the door behind them.

Felix sank into a chair, running a hand through his hair. "I know. I'm sorry. I just...needed some air."

"Air?" Chan repeated, raising an eyebrow. "You vanished for hours, didn't answer your phone, and then I find out you were in Incheon? Felix, what the hell is going on?"

Felix hesitated, the weight of Hyunjin's presence still pressing on his mind. He couldn't tell Chan everything, not yet. "I was with someone," he admitted. "It wasn't anything dangerous, I promise."

Chan's eyes narrowed, but he didn't press further. Instead, he moved to the table in the center of the room, where a stack of files waited. "Fine. But we've got bigger problems right now."

Felix straightened, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "What's going on?"

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