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The moment I stepped out of the car, pain shot up my ankle as if someone had jammed a hot rod into my heel.
I gasped, involuntarily leaning against the closest thing on which I could find purchase, which unfortunately turned out to be Vernon. He caught me as I fell, steadying me as I leaned on my other leg. As his fingers came into contact with the bare skin of my arms, I cringed away from him, shakily balancing myself against the side of the car.
"I'm fine," I hissed through clenched teeth, and he cast his eyes towards the sky.
I wasn't fine, though. Disregarding the emotional damage the past hour had brought me, I had been injured physically as well. As soon as I felt the pain in my leg, I remembered the painful angle at which it had twisted when I had fallen onto the asphalt when pushed from the crowd.
Yeeun slipped her arm under mind and hefted me up, slipping my arm around her shoulders so I could lean on her and walk. I didn't know how she had sensed the tension between me and Vernon, but I guessed it was because she was part of the gang, and anyway, I was grateful to her for saving me both from the injury and the possibly tense situation that could have developed.
With much difficulty, I dragged myself into the house. It looked the same as it always had—well, as it had for the last three years, at least—but I could notice little details that were out of place. The flowerpot by the door had moved by about a foot, and the door was slightly ajar—I frowned, unable to help being irritated by the disturbance. On more than one level.
"Is everyone here?" I asked her as she helped me into the living room. The place smelled a little different, too, giving off a serious, contained vibe as if it had turned into a containment unit. No one was to leave.
"Define 'everyone'," she answered. I pursed my lips as I knocked against the wall while turning, to keep from swearing. "Most of the racers are here, and you probably know them from your time in Seoul. There might be some...other faces, too."
I stayed quiet after that, even as we reached the living room. To my immense relief, it was mostly empty of criminals, occupied only by my father, who was sitting at the other end of the table, and Jimin. Vernon stepped out from behind us, moving towards him, and whispered something in his ear. My father caught my eye from across the table, and we shared a long look. It wasn't really surprising that he had eased into the situation so quickly. We shared the same blood, after all, and he had a history with this kind of thing.
"Long time, no see," a singsong voice spoke up. I looked up in surprised recognition as Seulgi waved from the couch, where she had been sitting camouflaged in the shadows. You wouldn't notice her unless you were really looking, I realized with grudging respect, but I wasn't sure why she had chosen it. Unless, of course, she just wanted to mess with me. Not that surprising, really.
