SUPERPOWERS! Running Man

As Midnight Draws Near

Boy, oh boy the plot thickens! At least that is what I hope to do in this chapter. I have to admit though that this arc had really been a blast to write... And we're still not near the climax yet! Man... Anyways, by the time I'm writing this, I do hope that this chapter would indeed be released by Thursday, so that I could finally begin a much more organised uploading schedule but hey, that's a thought for later on...

Donghoon knew that what he was about to do might be something more than he could chew, but still he insisted on carrying it out until the very end. Following Minho's passive-aggressive request of his departure, Donghoon indeed went out of the residence before his friend and took some time to recuperate and carefully think about all the details that he needed to pay attention to.

Of course, knowing that Yoomes' help would be crucial to help him in suceeding, Donghoon finally plugged in the earpiece that he was given and logged in to the Department's network.

"Donghoon, did you find anything useful?" Yoomes immediately requested as soon as he saw the notification that Donghoon was online.

"Yes, hyung," Donghoon said, before proceeding to tell Yoomes all about the things that he had found.

"Interesting... And you said you've got a plan to try and confirm your suspicions?"

"Yes. But if I am to do it, hyung, I don't think I'll be able to carry out the plan until at least midnight. Because I know that that is usually the time when the securities change shift, and thus there wouldn't be any night patrols going around. If I were to come back now, Minho might become suspicious of me, if he is indeed our guy, and we wouldn't want that. Besides, by midnight, everyone in that house should be asleep. Even Minho and the housemaid could never afford to lose sleep, being as busy as they are."

"Alright then," Yoomes said, completely understanding Donghoon's reason. Although he was still unsure of this whole plan, due to their limited information as well as Donghoon's better knowledge of the target, Yoomes could only put faith in him as a fellow Running Man. "While we're at it, seeing that there is still quite a lot of time ahead of you, is there anything else that you woud like me to aid with? Maybe you can go back home for a while, if you're that worried about your wife."

Yoomes, himself, was not saying this without reason. He too knew the feeling of wanting to protect his family, and as such he wasn't saying this simply as a fellow agent, but as a fellow husband. What Donghoon said as a response both surprised him and impressed him.

"Hyung, if I were to come back now, it would only make her more worried for me to go out later again, especially at such a late time. For me, it's better to just go all the way through and be safely back home in the morning without worry, rather than causing worry to her and maybe even putting her more in danger by coming back just for a short while... But that being said, I think there are some things that I could have you help me with, hyung. If you are willing, of course."

Listening to this determination of Donghoon, Yoomes couldn't help but be comforted by the fact that he had amazing juniors to be alongside him. "Of course, why even ask? If we're going to do this, we're going to do this until the very end!"

***

Kwang Soo was upset, to put it bluntly. He honestly believed that fate should have been on his side during that rock-paper-scissors match. He shouldn't have lost!

"Aish," he grumbled as he made his way out of the house to go buy the things they needed. He politely told Byul that he was going and was just about to leave when Ji Lupin called for him yet again.

"Kwang Soo, while you're at it, could you also buy me some hot-cream. My back's killing me. I promise to pay you later!"

"Eyy, hyung, how could you have a bad back and call yourself an Age--" Kwang Soo managed to stop himself just in time before saying that classified word. "Alright, alright, but you should pay me back! I'll keep on reminding you until you pay up!"

"Arasso!"

Hearing this agreement being made, Kwang Soo finally left the house and made his way towards the nearest minimarket, which thankfully Byul had given the direction of a few minutes before his departure.

After around ten minutes of just walking and cursing his luck, Kwang Soo finally made it to the minimarket and began shopping for the things he'd need. All from toothbrushes, toothpaste, some very simple night-clothings, and of course due to Big-Nose Brother's request, hot cream.

Kwang Soo was just about to be done with his shopping when he suddenly developed the urge to buy himself some bread. He had not eaten yet ever since that visit to the hospital, and although Byul had prepared some tea, Kwang Soo couldn't bother her more by saying that he was also hungry. As such, Kwang Soo decided to buy himself some bread for him to share with Ji Lupin. Besides, it would be best for them to have some snacks to eat during the night so that they wouldn't need to bother the host if they were to become hungry. After having reached this conclusion, Kwang Soo changed his mind and opted to buy even more food for later on.

"Even if they don't get eaten today, I can just take them home with me later," Kwang Soo happily mused to himself before making his way to the food aisle.

Once everything was said and done, Kwang Soo's trolley was almost filled to the brim with food, and he himself had no idea how to carry it back to the house.

Still, being Kwang Soo, he thought that he could still manage to do it somehow.

And so, Kwang Soo went to the cashier and scanned all of his items before paying up. It wasn't that large of a sum, but Kwang Soo knew that he would have a fun time in the future asking for Ji Lupin to pay up. He was having such a fun time imagining this, that he couldn't hide a grin on his face at the thought.

However, this grin immediately evaporated as from the corner of his eye, Kwang Soo saw a figure of a man who was very much familiar to him. Kwang Soo quickly turned his head and only saw the back of the man. He was huge and muscular, showing the physique of an MMA fighter. His skin was slightly tanned, and his hair was styled in such a way that it looked much neater than expected. Although Kwang Soo had only met the person in his mind once, he couldn't shake off the feeling that these two people were the same.

"I'm sorry, but can you hold up for a moment," Kwang Soo told the cashier, as he quickly made his way to the front of the minimarket where the parking lot was.

The man was nowhere to be seen, but Kwang Soo was sure without a doubt that it was indeed him.

Kwang Soo was certain that the man who was with Jihyo's shooter was just there moments ago.

***

"Alright, is everything alright on that side?"  Yoomes' voice buzzed on Donghoon's earpiece.

"Yes, hyung. I've got the package already. How about you? Are things going as planned there?"

"Don't worry about me. Everything's fine here, so you just do your work and we'll do our best to tell you if anything comes up."

"Okay," Donghoon said solemnly, before finally starting his car and making his way to Minho's residence. It was already almost ten now, and Donghoon was for sure more ready than ever to set his plan into motion.

"I really hope you're not involved in this, my friend," Donghoon muttered. "But I gotta make sure... Even if you are my long, long friend, Minho, I just gotta make sure..."

Donghoon stepped on the pedal, and off he went underneath the starry skies, in preparation for a mission that he'd never thought would come.

To be continued...

Well, it was definitely a short one... Still, it definitely had more plot progression than the last one. Loved writing the both of them, but still can't deny the slight difference in tone. Nevertheless, hooray, I did it! This thing's actually going to be posted on Thursday. Hurrah to scheduled posting! Well, for now at least, still gotta stay on the grind next week. That being said, I wish you all a great day and stay safe, y'all!