Don’t panic!

Jangmi punched her thighs so hard that it hurt.

One thing for sure: panicking would make everything worse. Ignoring Chanyeol who was slamming on the brakes furiously over and over again, Jangmi tried to think straight. The car was gradually accelerating that to avoid crashing with other cars, Chanyeol entered the highway. Even though he was busy stepping on the brakes, the car still went faster.

Wait! That’s not possible!

“Did they actually cut the brake line?” Jangmi asked, trying to get her point across.

Finally, the color came back into Chanyeol’s face as he smiled, understanding what she’s about to say. “I think not. I’m not stepping on the gas but the car is speeding up. You’re brilliant, Jangmi!” He shoved a hand into his pocket and took out his phone, tossing it to Jangmi. “Call Baekhyun! Quick! There’s a high chance that this car is hacked!”

Not wasting even a second, Jangmi quickly use Chanyeol’s phone to call Baekhyun, since her own phone had been turned off due to the bug and the car stereo – which was connected to his phone – most likely wouldn’t work because the system was being hacked. Baekhyun answered the call after the first ring.

“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Baekhyun’s angry shouting greeted Jangmi before she could even say anything. She winced as static wavered in her ear, so she the loudspeaker. Chanyeol jolted in his seat as well when Baekhyun’s loud voice filled the car.

“Baekhyun—” She managed to say a word between his rants.

“Oh, it’s you, Jangmi.” Baekhyun’s voice softened, but he sounded really worried. “What were you thinking? Why didn’t you take my call? Why is your phone turned off? Why didn’t you tell me if you’re going out?”

Everything she wanted to say died in as the guilt seeped into her body. She should have known better. Baekhyun would be more worried than anyone if she just disappeared. She knew how he really cared for her. “I’m sorry, Baekhyun. I should have let you know.”

Baekhyun let out a sigh. “It’s good if you know that. Promise me that you won’t do this again.”

“I won’t.”

Chanyeol cleared his throat impatiently. “Guys, I think it’s not the right time for a lovey-dovey chat! We’ve got a situation here!”

As if Jangmi was splashed with cold water, she came to her senses and realized the danger she was facing. She had been distracted by Baekhyun’s worried tone that she’d forgot why she’d called him in the first place.

“Oh, right! Can you help us, Baekhyun? I think the car is hacked,” Jangmi said.

Baekhyun cussed under his breath and she could hear he was frantically typing on his keyboard. “That rat got into the car’s system. You’re lucky I’ve installed my software on your car, Chanyeol. If not, you’re as good as dead now.”

“Geez, you’re scary.” Chanyeol suddenly made an abrupt turn, nearly making Jangmi drop his phone. An extremely loud horn from behind them followed soon after. “I’d appreciate if you start to work now. This car is moving too fast for me to handle.”

By that time, Chanyeol had already exceeded 200 km/h. Jangmi whimpered at the blurry view from the side window. She could only hope Baekhyun would be able to stop the hacker from tampering with the car.

“! I didn’t want to admit it, but this guy is good. He’s really persistent,” Baekhyun said. “Didn’t you say you’re a racer? Just hang in there, Chanyeol. Let me fight this bastard.” He quickly added, “Step on the brakes! Now!”

Chanyeol did what he’d asked and the speed dropped until 80km/h, making their bodies harshly jerked forward. Both of them sighed in relief as they could finally breathe more easily. At least the car moved slower for now, although the speed was gradually increasing again.

“Wait, I’ll call you guys back later!” Baekhyun hung up all of a sudden.

“What the hell?” Chanyeol angrily shouted. “Does he want to kill us?”

Jangmi’s hands started shivering. She clutched the phone tighter, her eyes not leaving the screen. She was desperately waiting for Baekhyun’s call. Without his presence, she felt even more anxious. I’m not afraid. We’ll be fine. We’ll be just fine. Everything is okay.

“Jangmi, are you alright?” Chanyeol asked. His voice was shaking despite his struggle to keep it steady.

To bring her back to her senses, Jangmi slapped her cheeks hard, taking Chanyeol by surprise. If she broke down now, she would bring him down with her. She obviously wouldn’t let that happen. I can’t be afraid. “I’m fine. Don’t worry. Baekhyun will definitely call us again.”

Jangmi almost screamed out of joy when Chanyeol’s phone rang. She answered the call and the loudspeaker immediately without looking at the name. “Baekhyun?”

“Ah, you’re here, too?” Unexpectedly, Jongin answered her.

“So, everyone’s here,” Junmyeon added.

“What happened?” Chanyeol asked distractedly, having a hard time to concentrate on both the road and the phone call.

Jangmi glanced at the screen and found out it’s a group call. She had been too elated to answer that she hadn’t realized.

“They called me, so I made a group call. I’m still working on your car. Don’t worry,” Baekhyun answered. The panic could subtly be heard in his voice. “Jongin, Junmyeon, what’s going on?” He shouted Step on the brakes again before the two of them could answer.

Chanyeol seemed calmer now that the speed went down back to 80 km/h and the highway was getting emptier. It was actually impressing that he could avoid hitting other cars in this situation. Jangmi’s hands also stopped trembling. Baekhyun’s voice successfully eased her mind.

Jongin began in a hushed voice, “Baekhyun, can you hack the security footage of RG Building at Cheongdamdong? I’m with the president and we got ambushed. Luckily, we got away. However, we’re left alone and the attackers are all over the building. I also lost contact with the other PSS officers. Currently, we’re hiding in the meeting room on the fifth floor. I need to find a way out and avoid them. There’s no way I can beat them all while keeping the president safe.”

“I was having a secret meeting with Assemblyman Yang at my office,” Junmyeon said, his tone oddly calm despite the tension. “You know, on the tenth floor of the main JM Building, at the secret room with the password lock. Apparently, someone changed the password while both of us were having a private discussion and now we can’t get out. I keep shouting, but no one’s answering. Possibly, they’re knocked out cold. Plus, I just found out that there’s a bomb in the room. We approximately have five minutes left. Can you open the door for us?”

“Are you kidding me?” Baekhyun groaned in frustration. “How am I supposed to help you all if you throw your problems to me at the same time?”

There’s a sound of a gunshot and Jongin’s muffled swearing. “They’re close! Hurry, Baekhyun!”

“Four minutes left, Baekhyun!” Junmyeon said.

“Chanyeol, listen to me!” Baekhyun ignored them. “I’m guessing that they attached a radio transmitter or some kind of device on your car to get into the system. They should be following you close behind. If you can get away from them far enough, the signal might not reach and they will no longer have the control of the car.”

Even though Baekhyun’s instruction seemed doable, it wasn’t exactly possible. There’s no way to know how far the range of the transmitter, so there’s no guarantee if they could get far enough from them until they’re out of range before they crashed into something because of the continuous increasing speed. Jangmi glanced at the rear windshield once again and still, she couldn’t find the car that was following them but instead, she caught a glimpse of a small, black box stuck on top of the car trunk.

A crazy idea crossed Jangmi’s mind. She would be insane if she tried to do it, but Jongin and Junmyeon needed Baekhyun’s help more. Moreover, b