The Hidden Card || NCT MAFIA

Chapter forty: Blood, sweat and tears

Iseul didn't know what to do.
Blood was rushing through her veins, and she could hear her high-speed heartbeat pulsate in her ears.

Chaewon's scream caught her off guard and she turned around. The sight turned her blood to ice. Somebody was standing right behind her friend, a hand on her shoulder to drag her from the back.

"Chae!"

Iseul's eyes kept traveling between Jaemin who was trying to avoid getting stabbed and her panicked friend.

"Shhh!"

The man who had his hand on Chaewon had a hood on, making it impossible to see his face, but Iseul immediately recognized the voice.
He covered Chaewon's mouth with his hand to prevent her from letting out another scream, and tried to calm her down.

"Kun?" Iseul asked.

The mysterious man took his hood off, revealing his face.

"You two, go, now!" he yelled, already running to help Jaemin.

Ha had dragged Chaewon far enough for her to be protected by the large dumpsters.
Iseul's feet practically moved on their own and she ran to her friend, only to violently stop in her tracks.
Chaewon was safe -well, at least not in a life-threatening position at the moment- but Jaemin and Kun weren't.

Iseul turned around to look at Jaemin and Kun trying to put down the mysterious assailant. The rain was pouring now, and she felt her hair stick to her skin. Everything was dark, making it easier to notice the bright reflection of a knife in the man's hand.

Iseul couldn't see much, but still enough to see how tight his grip on the weapon was.

Jaemin was now laying on the ground, his back leaning against the dirty wall of the alley, his hand putting pressure in his side. He had been stabbed.

Kun was the only one fighting now, trying his hardest not to let the sharp metal cut into his skin. Iseul ran to Jaemin, taking off her drenched jacket.

"Jaemin!"

The boy let his head fall back against the wall, frowning at Iseul.

"Iseul," he hissed, trying to sit straight, "I told you to run!"

Jaemin wasn't a fighter. He knew the basics, obviously, like every member, but that wasn't enough against a skilled mercenary.

"Yeah, well I think we both know I suck at following orders. Now shut up and let me help you."

Jaemin grunted but let Iseul put an arm around his waist after covering him with her jacket. The boy was tall, and way heavier than she expected him to be. Iseul almost tripped over her own feet when she pulled him up.

She secured him against her side as she tightened her grip around him, while still making sure not to press on his open wound.

Chaewon hadn't' moved, she was still hiding behind the dumpster, shivering in fear.
The poor girl was terrorized.

"Oh, my God," she breathed, covering her mouth with a shaky hand.

Jaemin was bleeding a lot, the red liquid had stained his white shirt while his face, on the contrary, was bloodless. Chaewon almost passed out at the sight.

"Put pressure on the wound!" Iseul instructed.

She was already getting up, ready to go back to Kun, when Jaemin weakly grabbed her wrist.

"Here," he murmured, trying to reach for something in his pocket, "take this."

He handed her a knife of his own. The blade was way smaller than their attacker's, but that was still a better weapon than Iseul's small fists.

"That'll have to do," she mumbled.

To say that Kun was struggling was an understatement, he wasn't a fighter either. Blood was running down his face, and judging by the crooked angle of his nose, it was probably broken.

Just when the assailant was about to stab him, Iseul kicked him behind the knee, making him lose his balance. The sudden attack from behind took him by surprise, which was exactly was she needed. Using his reaction time to her advantage, she swiftly grabbed his right arm and twisted it behind his back. The knife he was holding fell to the ground with a metallic sound.

Iseul used the one Jaemin had given her to stab him in the ribs. Not enough to kill him on the spot, but still enough to weaken him.

He let out a groan, soon covered by the sound of a bone breaking. Kun had just punched him in the face, making his nose as crooked as his.

Iseul had killed before. She had taken the life of her own father, and to this day, she was still haunted by his memory. She had shot him right between the eyes, but at the moment, the only weapon she had was a knife. She wasn't sure she'd be able to do it again.

To stab someone, or to slit their throat was too much, too violent. She couldn't do it. Kun seemed to notice her hesitation, and his eyes immediately softened.

"Iseul," he softly whispered.

The girl still had the upper hand on the man, keeping him in a weak position.
Guessing she wouldn't reply, Kun slowly approached her, gently putting his hand on hers. He took the knife away from her tight grip and lightly pushed her to the side.

"Go back with the others, I got this."

His voice was so calm, so gentle, as if he was afraid he'd hurt her if he spoke harshly.

Iseul shot a glance at the man on the ground before fixing her gaze on Kun. She nodded and ran to her friends at the end of the alley.

Her blood turned to ice when her eyes met Chaewon's. They were filled with tears. Her cheeks were wet, and Iseul knew it wasn't only due to the rain.

When she looked at Jaemin, Iseul felt her heart stop for a second. Her friend's head was resting in Chaewon's lap, his eyes closed.

"Oh God, is he-"

She couldn't finish her sentence, too scared to utter the words.

"N-No, I don't think so," Chaewon sobbed. "I can still feel a heartbeat, but it's really weak."

Iseul let out a sigh of relief.

"Iseul, we have to get him to the hospital, n-now!"

The girl nodded, "Grab his left arm, I'll take the right."

Chaewon did as she was told and, with all the care in the world, she put his arm on her shoulders. Iseul couldn't help but notice how shaky her hands were. She didn't even want to look at her own, pretty sure they'd be as quivery.

"Come on, let's get him up."

The two girls managed to put him on his feet, carrying all of his weight on their shoulders.

"Wh-What about your friend?"

Iseul guessed that Chaewon was talking about Kun.

"Don't worry about him, he'll be fine. Come on, help me."

Just as they were about to leave the dark alley, the rain still pouring, a clicking sound stopped them in their tracks. Before they could react, Chaewon felt a cold object touch the soft skin of her temple.

A gun was pointed at her. 

"Not so fast, pretty ladies."

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