𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 | x1

16

16 – KEEP YOUR DISTANCE

watch out!
huge trouble lies ahead.

-

"they're guiding us into the basement."

static sounds make it hard to hear yohan's last line, which it is then followed by utter silence.

"to the basement? that means you're heading the right way!" dohyon says with a little excitement. "oh my, you better keep me updated, hyung, for the curiosity is seriously brewing inside me – hyung... hyung?"

no answer, for only hopeless sounds of the radio return back to him. minhee raises his eyebrow. "what happened?"

after his last statement, it seems like yohan and dongpyo have suddenly disappeared without a trace. dohyon looks around his workspace, hesitating. "i don't know, there must be something wrong with the connection. the basement's too far down for me to reach."

"are they gonna be alright?" hyeongjun asks faintly.

"they'll be fine." dohyon says, though unsurely. "i trust yohan-hyung, he must have his senses straight. besides, they're there with the other students, treated with the utmost care, it's most likely for them to leave the building harmless."

"it's either they leave harmless or they don't ever leave at all." minhee says with shortness of breath. "hyeongjun-ah, i see kang seulgi coming back down from the east. i think she looks quite determined, you should check out on her."

"got it," hyeongjun answers, quickly heading towards the said area.

"be careful, hyung!" dohyon says now with his confidence deterioriating. not knowing what clearly happened to yohan and dongpyo had certainly got into his nerves.

"she's heading down," hyeongjun announces, "down the stairs. looks busy... and in a hurry. i'm following her from behind."

"any signs of where she's going?" minhee asks.

"no... wait, she's stopping." hyeongjun stops abruptly. "we're at the end of the staircase, there's a huge, suspicious door in front of us. i think she's going in."

"what floor are you in?" dohyon asks.

"i'm.. not sure. we're way down, i lost count." he whispers. "wait, she's opening the door with her lock, i'm going to go in. i think i'm gonna miss my chance if i don't go in now."

minhee wasn't fond of the idea. "wait, hyeongjun-ah!"

before he even got the time to argue, hyeongjun had already zapped his way into the room the second seulgi had opened the door. seulgi didn't notice the light figure going pass her, cluelessly she opens the door widely for herself and closes it with her back without thinking anything, as her hands were already full with paperwork.

what she didn't notice was the sight of hyeongjun, fully hiding his small body behind the door she had just closed.

hyeongjun was only able to breathe again the moment the woman had disappeared into the dark hallway, leaving him behind. he looks around his surroundings. all of the sudden, the moment he went through the door, suddenly he had lost all his abilities to move ever so quickly. what happened? he holds the door handle, hoping for some sort of an explanation. it's locked.

"good thing that it's dark in here, i would've been gotten noticed by her in just seconds if the lights were on. i suppose i was quite lucky, dohyon-ah." hyeongjun says with a sense of relief. "dohyon-ah? why aren't you answering?"

only radio statics appear from the other line. that was the moment when fear starts to creep behind his back. hyeongjun tries his best to keep himself steady. okay, i'm locked in here, powerless and with no connection. there must be only one explanation to all of this.