𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 & 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 ⨳ lee heeseung

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘆-𝗼𝗻𝗲

Aiko & Heeseung

Jay, standing beside them, let out a relieved chuckle before pulling Aiko into a brief but firm hug. "Shit, Aiko, you scared the hell out of us," he admitted. "I thought—" He stopped himself, shaking his head. "Doesn't matter. You're here now."

She pulled back slightly, her eyes glancing between the two of them. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice quieter now. "I—I couldn't respond because I lost my walkie-talkie. There was this doctor, Jihoon. I don't even know why he was there, but I thought he could help. Instead, he knocked me out and stole my stuff."

Heeseung stiffened immediately, his arms still loosely around her waist. "He what?" His voice dropped, dark and furious.

"He stole my gun, my walkie-talkie—everything I had," Aiko continued, her fingers tightening into fists at her sides. "And he just left me there. I woke up alone."

Heeseung clenched his jaw, his hand instinctively moving to cup her face, tilting it slightly to examine her head. His thumb brushed lightly over the bruise forming at her temple where Jihoon had struck her. His expression darkened further, rage simmering beneath his eyes.

Jay let out a sharp exhale, running a hand through his hair. "Who the hell does that? Just leaves someone to die like that?"

"He wanted to save himself," Aiko muttered. "I should've seen it coming."

Heeseung's grip on her waist tightened. "No," he said firmly. "You were just trying to do the right thing. And that bastard—" He forced himself to exhale sharply through his nose, trying to rein in his temper. "If I ever see him, I swear—"

Aiko placed her hands on his chest, pressing gently, grounding him. "It's fine." Her voice softened. "We need to focus on getting out of here. That's all that matters now."

Heeseung took a slow breath before nodding. "Okay. Let's get the hell out of here."

She gave him a small, tired smile before stepping back and looking around the lab. "We need to gather everything. The research notes, the vials—every single piece of data."

Jay moved first, already reaching for a stack of documents on the desk. "I'll get the notes."

Aiko went for the vials, carefully placing them into a small padded container before sliding it into her backpack. "These are everything we worked for. We can't afford to lose them now."

Heeseung moved beside her, grabbing the remaining scattered papers and stuffing them into his bag. "If this is what it takes to end this nightmare, we'll protect it with our lives."

Once everything was packed and secured, Heeseung slung his bag over his shoulder before reaching into his belt and pulling out his spare gun. Without hesitation, he tossed it to Aiko, who caught it easily.

"Your aim better still be good," he teased, forcing a smirk despite the tension still in his eyes.

Aiko checked the magazine—half-empty, but better than nothing. "Better than yours," she shot back, arching a brow.