Hala Hala ||| Ateez

39

Mingi leaned against the counter and picked at the dark brown chicken on his plate.

Yeosang was going on about how Seonghwa had contacted him and given him the details on what the Wolf Pack was planning.

He didn't like it... Why on earth would they be going after a special particle? And what did this particle do?

None of this sat right with him and he'd make sure to talk to Hongjoong about it later.

For now they needed to come up with some kind of a plan.

"Can you find this facility?" Hongjoong asked the hacker from where he was standing next to Mingi.

The taller couldn't help but smile a little at how comfortable Hongjoong was with being close to him. It warmed his heart to know he had actually changed his heart that much from the first time he met.

Then he shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. Now was not the time to focus on that.

"Yeah, I can get my drones sent out and I'll start looking. If it's some place north of the city then it's probably stayed outside of the Mafia's control. Which means we might be able to get a jump on this and do some good." Yeosang said, rubbing his hands together.

"As long as word hasn't reached them that we are fugitives now." Jongho pursed his lips and glanced nervously at their leader.

The oldest let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry I did this to you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Mingi said, his forehead furrowed as he looked down at him. "We've always been fugitives. You're the one who gave up everything to come with us..."

The room was silent for a moment as his words sank in. They all knew it was true. Hongjoong could have stayed behind and faced a lesser punishment. He could have also turned them all it to try and save his and Yunho's jobs.

But he didn't. He had chosen them.

"Let's not worry about that now." Hongjoong muttered, rubbing his eyebrow furiously. "Start by finding that facility, Yeosang, and if you can, try to get a message to them. Even if it's just something asking them to contact us."

Yeosang nodded and left the room.

Mingi noticed Jongho glancing after him for a moment before he looked away with a pained expression on his face. Things had been awkward between the two of them... He'd have to ask about it later.

"I'll do inventory." The fighter suggested. "Then I'll see if I can get ahold of my contacts. If the Wolf Pack is all together, I'm guessing they will be heavily armed. We need to be prepared too."

"Sounds good." Hongjoong nodded in approval. "I'm going to go check on Yunho. It's been awhile..." His voice wavered a little as he pushed off the counter and walked away.

Mingi waited for a moment, then followed after him. He had no intention of letting Hongjoong avoid things, but he also knew that the older was dealing with Yunho's pain in his own way.

When he rounded the corner, he saw Hongjoong standing in the doorway to Yunho's room, leaning against the side.

Yunho was still sound asleep on the bed, but his head was turned like he had been talking to San before falling asleep.

The younger was in a chair, hunched over so his head was resting on his arms.

They stood there for a moment, just watching them, before Mingi slowly took Hongjoong's hand and pulled him away from the doorway.

The older led them down to another room and slipped inside. Then he surprised Mingi by turning around and pressing his face into Mingi's chest.

A muffled sob made Mingi hold onto him tight and rub his back. "Shhh, it's ok." He whispered, bending his neck so he could press his lips and nose into the top of Hongjoong's head. "It's ok. We are going to figure this out."