Twenty-Four
Phoenix[CONTENTID1]Phoenix[/CONTENTID1]
[CONTENTID2]Chapter Twenty-Four[/CONTENTID2]
[CONTENTID3]
Baekhyun carried Seri through the doorway which led to a spacious living room. The conversations of the soldiers and Minhee quieted down at their arrival. Everyone stared at the couple for a few seconds until Minhee squealed.
“You woke up!” She threw her arms up in the air, showing the happiest smile Seri had ever seen on her.
“Welcome back, Seri,” Chanyeol grinned. “We weren’t sure if you would sleep through the night or not.”
“Hi everyone,” Seri said. Chanyeol and Sehun made space on the sofa and Baekhyun gently let her down so that she could sit next to their friends.
“Thanks for the lift,” she winked at him.
“My pleasure,” he replied and ruffled her hair.
As Seri looked around in the living room, seeing many unfamiliar faces, her stomach dropped. “Where’s Yeji?”
“She stayed on the ship with Kyungsoo. Don’t worry, she’s fine,” Jongin explained, and Seri exhaled.
“By the way, we found food supplies in the kitchen and put them on the table. You must be hungry, Seri,” one of the soldiers said. Seri didn’t know him, but the letters stitched on his uniform spelled “Kim Junmyeon”—the leader of EX9. It would be quite easy to memorize everyone’s names thanks to this.
“I am, thank you,” she nodded and smiled at him.
“Just stay where you are, I’ll take a look and get something for you,” Baekhyun said and left the living room. In the meantime, Seri was hogged by Minhee who left Jongin’s lap to reach her. She sat next to Seri on the other sofa.
“Aww, Min. Did you wait for me?” Seri beamed at her and wrapped her arm around the girl’s smaller body, embracing her gently.
“Yes! Seri didn’t wake up for a looong time, it was super scary.”
“It’s because I was very tired, but I’ll stay with you now.”
“Why did Baekhyunnie carry you? Does your leg ouch?”
“A little bit, yes. I need to be careful for a while until my leg is fully healed.”
Minhee was satisfied with her answer and snuggled up to her, closing her eyes. She appeared tired, and Seri wasn’t surprised by this. The little girl had experienced a turbulent day and met eight new people she had never seen before. Speaking of them—Seri had yet to introduce herself. The soldiers had been observing her conversation with Minhee in silence, curiosity sparking in their eyes.
“I’ve heard a lot about you guys from Baekhyun. It’s great we finally met. My name’s Gwan Seri, but I guess you already know. Thank you so much for coming here, I can only imagine how risky it must have been.”
“We don’t like to leave people behind and since Baekhyun insisted that someone’s missing, we joined his search,” the leader of EX9 answered, crossing his arms. “I’m Kim Junmyeon, by the way.”
They introduced themselves one after the other and strung up a casual conversation with Seri. She got to know the army surgeon Zhang Yixing who had treated her injury while she had been asleep, as well as Kim Jongdae, the one with the loudest voice and the biggest grin. Kim Minseok was more reserved than the others but no less likable. The soldiers also told Seri about the final member of EX9—Do Kyungsoo.
By the time Baekhyun returned with Seri’s dinner and a few water bottles under his arm, Minhee had fallen asleep, curled up next to Seri on the sofa. Her hand grasped Seri’s dusty shirt—she had to change clothes soon—and her head lay on Seri’s chest. She looked like a little pixie, only the wings were missing. At last, she wasn’t afraid anymore—a more stable and safe home would surely help her process the loss of her sister. Seri was glad Minhee had the chance to recover from the horrors of the past hours. Words couldn’t describe the profound relief Seri felt ever since she had woken up next to her fiancé.
Baekhyun noticed her smile when he took a seat next to her and handed her a plate with different snacks and a bottle. “Minhee is asleep already?” he commented and raised his eyebrows. “Just a second ago she was jumping around.”
“Children,” Jongin shrugged as if that would explain it.
“I’ll take her to the bedroom,” Baekhyun said, but Seri put her hand on his arm.
“Don’t. Let her stay here for a bit longer, I doubt she wants to leave just yet,” Seri answered and nodded to the girl’s small hands that clutched Seri’s shirt as if her life depended on it.
“She likes you a lot, huh?” Baekhyun chuckled and leaned his back against the sofa, carelessly propping up his feet on the coffee table. “Ahh, finally a break. It’s been a long day.”
“I don’t even remember how many zombies I shot. I almost ran out of bullets by the end of it,” Sehun said, scratching his neck. “I would give a lot for a shower.”
“Wait until we’re back in Jeju. We got running water.” Yixing’s revelation was followed by overly excited reactions from Baekhyun, Sehun, Jongin, Chanyeol, and Seri.
“Are you kidding? If so, it’s not funny,” Chanyeol grumbled. It had been more than six months since he’d been able to enjoy the luxury of running water.
“I’m dead serious,” Yixing grinned.
Sehun let out a long breath. “Oh, this is amazing, we’re going to live in paradise!”
“We also got electricity, but it’s only used for the most important necessities,” Junmyeon went on to explain, gaining Chanyeol’s full attention.
“Is playing video games included?”
“No.”
“Aww, that .”
Jongdae snickered and caught Seri’s equally amused gaze. He remembered something Chanyeol had mentioned yesterday and blurted it out. “Chanyeol said you’re married to Baekhyun,” he said, having noticed Baekhyun’s identification tag around her neck. It was uncommon to give it away.
“Of course he would say that… It’s not true though, we’re not married yet.”
“That’ll change soon,” Baekhyun smirked and raised his chin. “Because we’re engaged.”
“So Chanyeol lied?” Jongdae answered and sent said man a dirty look.
“No! I didn’t lie! I said she’s his future wife.”
“Oh, I see,” Jongdae laughed. “So we got a wedding to prepare for.”
“Are we invited?” Minseok asked and glanced at the couple.
“Of course, you’ll be the guests of honor. Nothing less after you risked your lives to search for me,” Seri said.
Junmyeon cocked his head and smiled. “It seemed like you mean a lot to Baekhyun, so we tagged along.”
“You make it sound so simple and easy,” Seri chuckled but fell silent when Minhee stirred in her arms. The loud conversation had disturbed her sleep.
“Mama,” she grumbled and pushed herself closer. Seri flushed—maybe she was dreaming about her real mother. She must have lost her in the wake of the outbreak. Seri hadn’t known Minhee for long, but it was obvious that the girl needed a parental figure in her life. Someone she could trust, someone who took care of her and made her feel welcome and safe.
The soldiers chuckled at the adorable scene. They didn’t experience moments like this often these days, too busy with rescue missions and supporting the safe zone any way they could.
“I guess it’s too loud in here after all,” Seri mumbled, furrowing her brows as she observed Minhee. She brushed a few long black locks out of her face and carefully tucked them behind her ear. Baekhyun watched the affectionate gesture, his eyes gleaming with warmth.
“It’s time to move her to the bedroom,” Baekhyun decided, and this time, Seri had no objections. She held in a yawn and figured it would be a good idea to sleep soon—it was dark outside and very late as well.
Seri peeled Minhee’s hands off her shirt and helped Baekhyun pick her up without disturbing her. The captain cradled her to his chest and let her chin rest on his shoulder. She snored softly, breathing in and out. He made his way to the bedroom and disappeared. In the meantime, the rest of the group looked after him with amused and disbelieving gazes.
“Wow, what the hell happened to him?” Jongdae burst out when he was out of earshot. “He acts like a different person.”
“We haven’t seen him for how long? Six months, eight months? A person can change in such a long time, especially when dealing with an army of mad people who want to eat you,” Yixing joked.
“That’s true,” Jongdae replied. His gaze was still fixed on the bedroom door through which Baekhyun had disappeared moments ago. Eventually, it was opened from the other side and he returned without Minhee.
“We should go to sleep soon,” Junmyeon reminded them. “Who wants to take the first night shift?”
“Let me do it,” Minseok said. “You go to sleep.”
Getting changed was a bit difficult for Seri—at least when it came to her pants—so Baekhyun entered the bathroom when she called for him and helped her. It was a relief to get rid of her dusty, sweaty clothes. Also, seeing the caring side of her fiancé and how keen he was to help her was heartwarming. She loved him for a reason; he was simply the perfect match for her.
When she stood in front of the mirror and brushed her hair, he waited behind her with his hands splayed over her hips, steadying her. And when she was done, she was once more lifted up gently.
“I feel like a princess when you do this,” she grinned and tapped his cheek with the tip of her finger. Baekhyun shook his head and chuckled.
“Nonsense, you’re an angel.”
“But I don’t have wings.”
“You don’t have a crown either.”
“Baekhyun, can't you let a woman dream?” she whined.
“So…” he began and judging by the teasing smirk that suddenly overtook his face, he was up to no good. “What you’re saying is that you’d rather be a princess?”
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