Deep End | Hyunlix

38

As the adrenaline from the raid faded, Felix took a slow breath, trying to settle the unease that still clung to him. His team worked efficiently around him, securing the weapons and documents they had seized from the Snake Eye Clan's operation. The night had been a success, their intel had been solid, and they had dismantled another key part of the gang's supply chain.

But despite that victory, Felix's mind refused to quiet, there was a quiet unease gnawing at him. It had nothing to do with the mission.

It had everything to do with Hyunjin.

Felix exhaled sharply, dragging a gloved hand over his face. Now wasn't the time. He needed to finish processing the scene, interrogate the survivors, and comb through the evidence. Yet, no matter how much he tried to force his mind back to the job, Hyunjin's words from their last meeting echoed in his head.

"Don't make me regret this."

Felix had promised he wouldn't. But standing there, surrounded by the wreckage of another brutal confrontation, he wondered if he was lying to himself.

He crouched beside the fallen table, sweeping aside some of the scattered papers. Maps, smuggling routes, and financial records, everything they needed to tighten the noose around the Snake Eye Clan. Yet, his focus drifted when he caught sight of something tucked beneath the pile. A sleek black folder, marked with a simple insignia that made his stomach drop.

HH Art

Felix's breath hitched as he flipped the folder open, his sharp eyes scanning the contents. There were transaction logs, shipment lists, and several documents detailing a high-level meeting between the Snake Eye Clan and another organization. His pulse quickened as he scanned the page, and there it was, Hwang Hyunjin.

His blood ran cold.

Felix barely registered the way his fingers tightened around the folder. The name stood out like a beacon, confirmation of something he had suspected but refused to acknowledge. Hyunjin wasn't just an artist with a hidden past. He was involved. Deeply involved.

"Felix."

He startled slightly at the sound of Chan's voice. Straightening, Felix turned to see Chan approaching, his brows furrowed. "We need to move out soon. Reinforcements could be inbound, and we don't want to stick around for round two."

Felix nodded, snapping the folder shut. "Understood. Make sure all the evidence is accounted for, we'll analyze it back at HQ."

Chan studied him for a moment, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. "You alright?"

Felix forced a neutral expression, pushing down the storm brewing inside him. "Yeah. Just focused."

Chan didn't look convinced, but he didn't press further. "Good. Let's wrap this up."

As Chan turned to bark orders at the team, Felix tucked the folder into his tactical vest, the weight of it heavier than it should have been. His mind raced as they secured the scene and prepared to head back to headquarters.

Hyunjin had told him to not make him regret this. But had Felix been the one walking into something he was going to regret?

The mission came first. It always did.

And yet, as Felix climbed into the transport vehicle, gripping the folder tightly in his hands, he realized that for the first time, his heart was at war with his duty.

And he wasn't sure which would win.

Later that night Felix sat alone in his apartment, staring at the evidence laid out on his table. He had access to every file they'd pulled from the raid, transaction logs, encrypted communications, lists of contacts. He knew he should be combing through them with the same meticulous focus he always had. But his thoughts kept circling back to one thing.

Hyunjin.

Felix reached for his phone, his fingers hovering over the screen. He had promised to prove himself, to show Hyunjin he wouldn't run again. But what if that promise was already broken? What if he was standing on the edge of something neither of them could come back from?

Before he could stop himself, he opened his messages.

No new texts. Hyunjin still hadn't responded to his last message.

Felix clenched his jaw, the weight of it settling heavy in his chest. He had spent years mastering the art of detachment, separating emotions from the job, keeping personal feelings locked away where they couldn't interfere.

But Hyunjin had shattered that control without even trying.

And now, Felix didn't know what to do with the pieces.

He exhaled, forcing himself to type out a new message.

Hyunjin. Can we talk?

He stared at the words for a long moment before pressing send.

Seconds passed. Then minutes. No response.

Felix set his phone down, rubbing his hands over his face.

Maybe he was in over his head. Maybe this was a mistake.

But despite everything, the mission, the risks, the lines he knew he shouldn't cross, Felix couldn't ignore the truth gnawing at the edges of his mind.

He didn't want to let Hyunjin go.

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828 words