𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 & 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 ⨳ lee heeseung

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝘅𝘁𝘆-𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿

Heeseung & Aiko

The room was thick with tension as Heeseung stood at the head of the table, staring down at the hastily drawn maps and scattered notes. His jaw was tight, his eyes hard with determination. The group sat around him, weapons resting nearby, their expressions ranging from grim resolve to barely hidden fear. Aiko sat quietly, her hands clenched into fists on the table as her eyes stayed glued to the rough sketch of the lab.

"Okay," Heeseung said, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "This time, we're doing it right. No surprises, no screw-ups. If we're going back to that hellhole, we're going prepared, and we're sticking to the plan."

Jake leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "And what exactly is the plan? Because so far, all I see is a death sentence written all over this."

Heeseung shot him a sharp look. "We don't have a choice, Jake. If we don't get Aiko's mom's research, we're all dead anyway. So instead of whining, help figure this out."

"Whining?" Jake barked, sitting forward. "You think I'm whining? I'm trying to make sure we don't all get fucking killed, Heeseung!"

"Enough!" Aiko snapped, her voice louder than anyone had ever heard it. The room went still, all eyes turning to her. She glared at Jake and Heeseung in turn. "This isn't about who's right or wrong. It's about saving lives. My mom gave her life for this, and I'm not letting that go to waste."

Jake sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Fine. Let's hear it then. How the hell do we even start?"

Sunghoon, who had been quietly sharpening a blade, spoke up. "We need more firepower. Whatever weapons we have now aren't enough. Those neomorphs are evolving or something because they're harder to kill than they were before."

Jay nodded in agreement. "There's a military depot not far from here. It's risky, but they might have ammo or better guns. It's our best bet."

"But it's crawling with those things, isn't it?" Yuna asked, her voice shaky. "We barely made it out of the lab, and now you want to risk running into a horde just for weapons?"

"We don't have a choice," Heeseung said firmly. "If we go in there with what we have now, we're dead. The depot is a risk, but it's one we have to take."

Jungwon frowned, his brows furrowing as he stared at the map. "Alright, say we get the weapons. What about the lab? How do we even get inside? The front entrance is out of the question."

Aiko nodded. "There's a back entrance. It's small, but it leads to the lower levels. From there, we'd have to fight our way up to the top floor."

"And how do we know that back entrance is even still there?" Sunoo asked, his voice full of doubt. "For all we know, it could be blocked, or worse, a trap."

"We don't," Aiko admitted, her voice steady but strained. "But it's our only option."

Jake groaned, rubbing his face. "This gets better and better. So we sneak in through some back door, fight our way through God knows how many neomorphs, and then what? Grab some papers and run? Do we even know where her research is?"