Hyorin took the stairs slower this time around. There was no light to illuminate the path down and so she focused on being as quiet as she could. Even though it was so late that there was most likely no one around, her heart still pounded in fear that wouldn’t allow her to use any light that might draw any attention to herself. She used the long sleeves of her sweater to cover her hands as she grasped the cold railing and sped up. There wasn’t much time she repeated in her mind over and over again.

She finally reached the cold and dusty basement. Hesitating only a moment she ran over to the wall that she had seen Jaejoong go into and she slid her hand along the place in the same way she had seen him do it. She repeated the action three more times, each more urgent than the last as absolutely nothing happened. She slowly moved her hand further to the right and left until finally there was an almost inaudible click and a small panel slid out. Letting out a breath of relief she pressed his ID card on the scanner that glowed green and waited for a few seconds until it turned blue and the wall slid open for her. She stepped in and waited as the doors closed before her and moved down.

If the basement had been cold, then this place was freezing Hyorin decided as she stepped out into a series of halls and room lined by linoleum and steel. It was almost like a hospital ward she realized with a chill. It was quiet too. So quiet for a second it seemed as if she had lost her ability to hear anything. It looked empty thought and that was the only good thing. Apparently, whoever spent their time here went to bed early.

She walked along the long hallway, a bit overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next. When she had mentioned the blood tests she underwent every month Seung Hyun had told her that she had to find out as much as she could about that, starting with where exactly that blood of hers went to. She could have waited another month, but she was done waiting.

So she quickened her pace as she looked through the rooms that were labeled with numbers until she reached one labeled “A-D”. She looked past it and saw that the rest of the rooms after that had similar labels. With a frown she tried the door only to find another scanner. Once again she place Jaejoong’s ID card on it and it slid open to reveal a room filled with file cabinets and a small table in the middle. Pulling open the first one she found a thick folder filled with papers. Each of them had names on them she realized and quickly shutting it she ran out of the room and looked for the room which would have the letter K in it.

She ran towards the file cabinets and wrenched open the first one, it took her a few tries but she had finally found the one that including her last name in it. One by one she scanned the labels, finding no trace of neither her mother or herself just women with the same last name. Frustrated she pulled out a random folder and opened it angrily. The pages were filled with medical words and images, much like those in a textbook but nothing she could really make sense of. Instead she went to the last page, only to find that the page described the girl’s death. Internal bleeding among other complications, it had happened one year ago. With a sickening feeling she went back and pulled out another folder. Then another and another. They were all dead.

She looked around the room at the filled cabinets and knew that she’d be lucky if she even found one folder of a girl still alive. That must have been why they had been looking for her and her mother, because her mother was the only one to survive their experiment and had passed that on to Hyorin. With a shaky hand she put the folder away and stepped out. She had to go back upstairs she told herself, excusing her own cowardice.

Closing the door behind her, Hyorin walked in a daze towards the elevator before suddenly stopping in front of one of those numbered room. If the lettered rooms had files, what on earth was inside those rooms she asked herself. In spite of the voice screaming at her to simply get out she scanned his card once more and walked into the room. This one smelled like an overpowered disinfectant she noticed. It was filled with computers, test tubes, clipboards and another glass room inside with a steel door.

Hyorin moved to the side to get a look inside the room and staggered back in horror. There was a woman laying in the middle of the room on a bed and hooked up to countless of tubes going to all sorts of different machines. She didn’t dare move as she looked at the woman’s bruised body and the leather straps that held her down around her wrists and ankles. Hyorin stood in a frozen horror as she went over to the door and tried to open it only to find it locked. Spotting another panel she pressed his ID card only to find that the light turned red and nothing happened. She tried again finally resorting to trying to ram the door down though she knew it was impossible.

Breathing heavily she looked around for anything she could use to break the glass until she stopped. If she did get her out what would happen? They would catch her for sure. Even if she got her out… Hyorin looked around and remembered all the rooms around her. If she acted rashly then all the rest of these people would be dead she realized. She tried the door once again, with a weak grip and let her hand slip away. She stepped to the side to look at the woman one more time and felt her blood run cold. Her eyes were open and staring at Hyorin with such an intensity she felt like she was suffocating.

“I’m sorry…” She whispered as she took a step back and shook her head as the woman’s eyes silently begged her for help. When her hand twitched and reached out, opening in a silent scream, Hyorin turned and ran out.

She couldn’t do anything, but hope that the woman would be alive by the time she got her help. Now more than ever she wanted to push on with Seung Hyun’s plan. There really was no choice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wiping the card free of her fingerprints she carefully slid it back into Jaejoong’s coat pocket and stepped back. Glad to see that at least he hadn’t woken up. It seemed like she had spent hours down there she thought as she walked around with a light headed feeling and lay carefully on her side of the bed. She turned her head to look at Jaejoong and wondered just how much he knew about what happened down there. He had to know they had people down there and of their fate so how could something like love protect even to the extent where she reasoned it in her mind to hate everyone involved, except him. She really was an idiot.

That night she had nightmares again. The kind that she hadn’t had since the first year of her mother’s death. She dreamed of the woman in that room also and guilt rampaged through her for leaving her behind and for the first time she dreamt with clarity about the night her mother died. She dreamt of the man who had saved her, the one she had been told was dead, but in reality was very much alive. Seung Hyun looked the same her dream self noticed as the blurriness cleared and that night became clear. It was also the first time she had met Jaejoong. The dream played a cycle of that, always interrupted by gruesome images until she finally woke up with a gasp.

Jaejoong was looking down at her with worry as he placed a cool hand on her forehead.

“Are you alright? What happened?” He asked with worry as he pulled the sheets back from her and pulled her trembling body into his arms.

She didn’t answer and didn’t fight him as he embraced her and her hair.

“You were thrashing around and whimpering. I was… worried. Was it all just a nightmare?” He asked softly.

“Yeah, I dreamt of my mom” She whispered as she closed her eyes and buried her face into his warm chest. It wasn’t a complete lie…

“Damn it those dreams again? Is something bothering you?” Jaejoong asked quietly.

“No” She answered simply as she pushed herself away from him, reminding herself that their days together were counted.

“There’s something wrong” Jaejoong insisted as he grabbed her and pulled her to him.

“We should have never have acted on what we felt” She whispered, “I think you were right all along, we’re gonna regret this” She said as she pulled free and got off the bed.

“Hyorin what’s going on?” Jaejoong demanded as he followed her to the bathroom.

“Nothing” She spoke sharply.

“Like hell nothing, you were fine a couple of days ago and—“ Jaejoong began.

“Well how exactly do you want me to act when my best friend is gone?! And you… he wanted to take me away you know? I should have gone with him, but I stayed because of you and now…” She trailed off knowing she couldn’t say anything yet.

“So what, you regret being with me because Yesung walked out on your friendship?!” He yelled suddenly defensive and angry, he had always been afraid that Hyorin hadn’t realized that she felt something more for Yesung. That she might care for him more than she loved him and now it seemed his fears were coming to life.

“He never did that! You! You…” Hyorin screamed, tears welling up.

“I what? Don’t tell me now that he’s gone you suddenly notice that you have feelings for him?” Jaejoong demanded a cold stare settling in his eyes.

“…. Go away” She murmured.

“ what‘s going on?! Why aren’t you talking to me?!” He asked angrily.

“Get out!” She screamed.

“I have a mission to go on tonight. I’ll go by myself. I won’t be back for a week” Jaejoong told her.

“Fine. How will I get to the hospital to visit Dae Hyun?” Hyorin asked keeping herself from making eye contact with him.

“You can go by yourself. Just keep your phone on you so they know where you are” He answered coldly.

“…thanks” She said politely, looking off to the side.

He wanted to say something else, but held back. Maybe they needed time away from each other he told himself as he turned and walked out. Hyorin looked up as soon as the door closed shut behind him and wished she could go with him and make sure he was alright. At least, she wished she could have said something to him. What if he didn’t come back she thought nervously. But she shook her head, Jaejoong was the best, he had to come back. He would definitely be alright. Even though it was good for her plans that he was leaving for a week, it was good so that she could collect herself and her feelings, she still wished he wouldn’t have to go because she was worried about him and didn’t know why.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning she woke up alone and that made her feel worse. She had gotten so used to being with him that she realized she had forgotten how to be alone. After she had told the security guard where she was going and had gotten it approved she stepped out for the first time by herself. There were no thoughts of escaping as she hailed a cab and went to the hospital. It was a short visit she explained to Dae Hyun when she got there and asked him if it would be alright if she did the same thing for the next couple of days. He took one look at her and agreed, knowing not to ask questions.

With a grateful smile she left her phone on his bedside table and told him she would be back soon before she walked out and waited for Seung Hyun. He came up in a black car and she was quiet as she climbed in and he drove off.

“We need to move fast. Every day we waste, those people are getting closer to death and it’s getting hard for me too” She told him.

“Because of your relationship with him?” He asked calmly.

“Not just because of that” She started to defend herself, “but yes, that plays a large role…” giving in, he wasn’t stupid and she was tired of lying.

“It won’t be that hard. This whole department has been dying to take down one of the largest criminal organizations. Telling them they should do it as fast as possible won’t bother them” He said truthfully.

“That’s good… I want to move on too” She confessed and asked, “How long are they going to be in jail for?”

“For your father and the men who directly work under him there won’t be any jail time. This was never an arrest mission. We’re going in there to get rid of the men that have caused countless of deaths. That has laways been the plan and it's never been up to me” He told her.

“What do you mean?” Hyorin asked quietly, suddenly wishing she was anywhere, but in that car.

“....Don’t worry about that Hyorin. You won't be forced to do anything you don't want to. I won’t let anything go wrong this time and afterwards I’ll help you start a new life” He promised placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She gave him a small smile that hid the sudden fear that rose for Jaejoong. She had sort of come to terms with leaving him and not being with him, but he had always been alive in those situations. She hadn’t realized that this was what Seung Hyun had meant all along.

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*sigh* this chapter didn't come out quite like I imagined it -_- but I had to get it out of the way so I didn't end up getting hung up over it for like the next two weeks xD Expect another update soon! I'm quite proud of my updating record this week!

Thanks for reading/subscribing/commenting ^____^