“We have to delete all traces we left behind earlier.” Nayeon was the one who replied this time while she typed against her keyboard. “But something or someone is stopping us!”

“It's her.” It's amazing Taecyeon sounded especially calm when he said that. However, if not for the situation, Nayeon might be able to hear his voice shaking slightly. 

“Let's leave now, yeah?” Nayeon panicked. “Udon isn't here yet and there's only four of us handling all these androids and the ones behind them!”

“No!” Bambam shouted. “If it's her, I'm staying!”

“There’s a huge group surrounding the van.” Udon notified. “I don’t know if I can handle this many androids.”

“No!” Bambam shouted again while Taecyeon stopped typing, staying silent for a while before he pushed his macbook cover down. 

“Let’s go.” 

“I said no!” Bambam insisted, refusing to do as told.

“It’s not a question.” Taecyeon opened the side door of the van but was stopped by Mark.

“The activity from the other side stopped. There’s no trace of them anymore.” 

“What?” Both Bambam and Nayeon stepped away from their spot and to the side of Mark. “It’s really gone... What does it mean?”

“This...” Taecyeon stared into the dark where two figures walked towards them.

Mark, Bambam and Nayeon turned their head and shifted their gaze to where Taecyeon was staring at. Mark widened his eyes and stepped out from the van along with Bambam. Nayeon glanced at the two shadows and then back at the three males in front of her.

“Mimi—“

“Sunmi...”

“Jisung...”

Taecyeon, Bambam and Mark muttered at the same time. 

Nayeon blinked as her gaze shifted back to the two figures who stopped right in front of the androids. One of them was a woman in a ponytail whom Nayeon assumed was Sunmi. The other one was a younger looking boy and Mark’s gaze had never once left him.

Jisung.

She had heard that name from Jinyoung once when he told her that Mark’s always in a bad mood during September. Nayeon had found it weird at first, especially knowing that it’s Mark’s birthday month too. However, Jinyoung explained that it was also the month when Mark lost his younger brother and he had always blamed himself for it. 

Nayeon shifted her attention back to the duo in front of them; neither of them seemed to recognise the boys.

“Jisung...” Mark muttered again as he took a step forward subconsciously while Nayeon kept her gaze on the man. “Jisung!”

It was like she had guessed, Nayeon grabbed onto Mark’s arm, stopping him to dash forward. However, the man was still stronger than her.

“Let go!” He flung her arms away which caused her to stagger a little. 

“He can’t recognise you!” Nayeon shouted and wrapped her arms around Mark’s body at the same time, hoping that it would be strong enough to hold him back. “Don’t be stupid!”

Thankfully, she was able to stop him this time.

“That’s her, right?” Bambam turned to look at Taecyeon, his finger pointing at the duo’s direction. “It is her!”

“I know...” Taecyeon’s voice was scarily calm. “I know—“

Thinking that it was an assurance, Bambam wanted to dash forward too but Taecyeon who was a lot stronger, grabbed the younger boy by his arm.

“No, don’t.” Taecyeon shook his head as his grip around Bambam’s thin arm tightened. “She doesn’t recognise us. Something is wrong.”

“Let’s go!” Nayeon shouted, getting Taecyeon’s attention. “The two of them, their emotions are getting into their head.

Her hold around Mark’s body got stronger but being the weaker one, she didn’t manage to hold him back for long. The next thing they know, Mark had ran up to Jisung and Sunmi. Bambam had wanted to do the same but Taecyeon managed to hit him on his neck, knocking him unconscious.

“Go grab him back!” Taecyeon commanded while he carried the unconscious Bambam back onto the van. 

“How am I supposed to do that!” Nayeon yelled, her hands moving frantically as she hopped on her spot, turning to look at Mark then at Taecyeon who was trying to start the engine. “ it.”

She ran up to Mark who was desperately trying to get Jisung’s attention by shaking his shoulders a little. 

“It’s me, Jisung!” Mark shouted even though the other boy wasn’t giving him any reaction. “It’s me, your brother!”

Nayeon hooked hugged Mark’s arm, trying to pry him away from Jisung but it was all in vain. Mark was still stronger than her.

“I have no brother.” Jisung finally made a response. “And I’m not Jisung. My name is 004.”

Mark stayed still for a moment, shocked at what Jisung had told him. Nayeon stopped too, looking up at the man whose tears were streaking down on his face. Using this chance, Nayeon tugged onto Mark’s arm harder. 

“Let’s go! We will save him again!” Nayeon tried coaxing him but his grip on Jisung’s shoulder got tighter instead.

“Get lost!” Mark pushed Nayeon away once again and this time, Nayeon’s body hit the ground. That managed to get Mark’s attention to be shifted onto her instead. 

“Let’s go yeah?” Nayeon looked up at him again as she struggled to stand up. “It will be—“

“Nayeon! Mark!” Taecyeon’s loud yell filled the tensed atmosphere. 

Nayeon’s eyes widened at the situation and before she knew it, a loud bang was heard from the gun Sunmi’s holding. 

“I don’t know how but he managed to grabbed me up but got shot instead.” Nayeon finished their encounter earlier. Her hands were still shaking and her tears never once stopped flowing down. 

Jeongyeon took one of Nayeon’s hand into hers and held onto it tightly. 

“It will be okay. He will be okay.” Jeongyeon tried to smile but the smile just wouldn’t come out. Instead, she let the tears fall too.

“Everything will be okay.” Jaebum managed to finish what Jeongyeon wanted to say and placed his hand onto the two girls’. “You always say that.”

Jinyoung exhaled and shifted closer, resting his own hand onto theirs. 

“We will all be okay.”

Silence filled the air and Jihyo stood by the side awkwardly. The words they told her earlier kept replaying in her mind and from what she’s witnessing, it’s not anything simple. She had never saw a gunshot wound in her life and neither had she seen that much blood.

Her father was part of that?

Jihyo shook her head, trying to get rid of the thoughts from her head and just at that moment, Taecyeon stepped out from the room with a handful of bloody gauzes and tissues. The sound of the door clicking close got everyone else’s attention.

“How are they?” Jaebum was the first to ask the question for everyone while they all stared at Taecyeon, waiting for his answer.

“We were lucky.” Taecyeon sighed. “It wasn’t anywhere critical so there’s no need for the hospital. Thankfully, Jaebum had a first aid kit too. However, there’s something weird. Maybe I’m overthinking but she might have missed it subconsciously.”

“She?” 

“Sunmi was the one who fired the gun.” Taecyeon explained as a deep frown formed on his forehead. “I don’t know what happened but none of them could recognise us.”

“Can we go in?” Jinyoung asked this time.

“Yes, we will have to take turns keeping an eye on them.” Taecyeon answered once again. “Although I’m not sure if either of them is awake. I’m going to clean these up.”

Jaebum gave Taecyeon a nod which the latter then head towards the bathroom. Everyone else had already gone into the room; Jaebum was about to do the same but he stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Jihyo instead.

“I wasn’t thinking and just brought you out. I’m sorry.” He bowed a little as an apology. “You should go, your father’s probably worried sick now.”

“Is it true?” Instead of leaving, Jihyo asked a question instead. “Everything you’ve told me. My father is plotting against your father?”

“It’s up to you to decide whether you want to believe or not.” Jaebum turned to face the door again, back facing the girl now. “But you should go and I hope you will forget about tonight. I was just trying to get you out from there.”

“Because it’s getting dangerous?” Jihyo stared at his back. “Because you’re worried?”

However, Jaebum made no reply and stepped into the room instead. Jihyo stood on her spot for a while until Taecyeon came back.

“You really should go.” The older man repeated what Jaebum had said as he walked towards the main door. “It’s not safe here but since Jaebum brought you here, I believe he trusts you enough to not say anything about us after you get out from the apartment.”

Jihyo gave the room that Jaebum just walked in another quick glance before she stepped out from the main door without looking back.

After sending Jihyo out, Taecyeon walked back into the room. Mark and Bambam were still unconscious on Jaebum’s king-sized bed. Whereas for the other four, they were just standing by the side, watching the two of them. Both Nayeon’s and Jeongyeon’s tears had stopped. Jaebum had his eyes closed as he leant against the wall with his arms folded. 

“Bam!” 

It was Jinyoung’s voice that made the young CEO to open his eyes which he managed to see Jinyoung’s arm moved away from Jeongyeon’s shoulder as he rushed to Bambam’s side. Jeongyeon and Nayeon followed after him in the same rush as Jinyoung.

Taking a quick glance at Mark’s unconscious state, Jaebum followed along too.

“Bambam?” Nayeon asked, her worried gaze staying fixated on the younger boy as he squinted his eyes open.

“Sunmi!” The boy sat up immediately once his conscious came back fully. “We saw her! I saw her, where is she?”

“Bambam, calm down.” Jinyoung coaxed while he held Bambam’s shoulders down. “We will bring her back so for now, calm down.”

Behind Jinyoung, Jaebum’s frown got deeper.

“Why didn’t you bring her back!” Bambam bellowed, pushing Jinyoung’s hands away from him. “She was just there!”

Bambam’s eyes then met with Taecyeon’s who was standing by the door. He pushed everyone away and strode towards the older man. 

“You saw her, didn’t you? She’s your girlfriend and you did nothing!” Bambam accused with his finger jabbing against Taecyeon’s chest.

“What do you want me to do?” Taecyeon’s voice was gentle but everyone could hear the despair in his voice. “She doesn’t recognised us. I don’t know what happened but she doesn’t know us. With that many androids, what do you want me t—“

“Excuses!” Bambam yelled as he wiped the tears away from his cheek harshly with the back of his hand. “You’re her boyfriend, you could have done something!”

“Bambam.” Jeongyeon and Jinyoung coaxed again, trying to pry him away from Taecyeon. “Calm down. Can’t you tell that Taecyeon’s as upset as you?”

Bambam tried flinging them away but this time, Jaebum caught his wrist. 

“Stop being a brat.” Jaebum spat in a harsh tone. “You’re going to get us all into danger. Don’t make us knock you out again.”

“Try it if you dare.”

Jaebum’s eyes met with Jinyoung for a second who then knocked the younger boy out with the side of his hand. Jaebum caught Bambam just in time and carried him back onto the bed. Both Nayeon and Jeongyeon looked away from that sight.

Who would have thought that finding both Sunmi and Jisung would be that painful for Bambam and Mark?

` i skipped a week bc i wanted to be at least one chapter ahead everytime i update. *doctor strange's voice* we are in the end game now. yeah, it's kinda like the last arc of the story, a long one bc we still have many things unsettled but i guess you can say that everything before led us to the current situation now. mark had been a quiet character and some might not see the subtle character growth he had, jisung is mark's background story and it's finally starting.

so, how do you like the progress of this story up till now? anything that excites you or makes you wonder? or maybe some that you weren't expecting? share your thoughts!! 

- ddeokbxkki -