ANGEL
UNTOUCHABLEKrystal opened the car, revealing the little angel who's sleeping soundly inside.
"Awe. Poor kid. She fell asleep." Krystal turned to the others. "Should I wake her, Cap?"
"No need. Just carry her. It's better if she's asleep," said Seulgi.
Krystal leaned forward to check the inside of the car. She picked the mobile phone on the dashboard and placed it into one of her pockets. "Phone's dead. Now come here, you little girl..."
The kid's eyes flutter open when she was lifted from the seat. She looked at Krystal with her round eyes.
"Hey there, Yerim baby..." Krystal smiled.
Yerim didn't say anything. She looked frightened. She looked at the other three people in the area and went back at Krystal, her eyes watery now. "Mommy..."
"No, baby... don't cry... we're going to bring you to mommy now..." said Krystal.
"Mommy..." Yerim started crying, her hands covering her eyes.
"Krystal, don't frighten the kid!" said Amber.
"I am not frightening her! She cried when she saw you!" retorted Krystal.
"Mommy!!!" Yerim was looking around, searching for her mom.
"Can you make her stop?" asked Sooyoung. "We're gonna attract some Evens if she won't stop."
Krystal lifted Yerim out of the car and hugged her. "Hey, Yerim. Don't cry now. We're here to save you, and we'll bring you to your mom in a few..."
But that didn't work. Yerim continued crying.
"Krystal, we're going to be in a difficult situation if the kid won't stop crying," said Seulgi. She's looking around now for any signs of Evens.
"I'm trying, Captain!" Krystal was patting Yerim's back now.
"And I thought you were good with kids?" asked Amber, already in defence position.
"I only said I love kids. I never said that I was good with them," Krystal hissed. "Hush now, baby. Your mom is waiting for you in the headquarters..."
"Mommy..."
"Krystal, we're gonna be in trouble..." said Amber, looking around.
"I know! I know! I'm trying here, okay?" Krystal tried cuddling the kid, but it didn't work. "Maybe we should switch positions if you think this is easy!"
"Will you two stop bickering?" Seulgi walked towards Krystal. "Give her to me. We've got to do something to make her stop."
Krystal obeyed, handing the crying Yerim to Seulgi.
The moment she was transferred, Yerim wrapped her arms around the captain's neck, resting her little head on Seulgi's shoulder. And just like that, without Seulgi doing anything, Yerim stopped crying.
It became too silent that the wind blowing can be heard. The troop stared at their captain, amazed.
"W-what did you do, Cap?" asked Krystal.
Seulgi looked clueless at Krystal. "I-I don't know. I only carried her."
"Wow. Didn't know you were good with kids," teased Amber. Seulgi grunted.
"Since the kid seems to be comfortable around you, if I may suggest, let's make Krystal our Finisher instead," said Sooyoung.
Seulgi looked at Krystal and the kid. "I guess there are no other options. Krystal, you take the Finisher role. Let's head to Sanctuary Four before it rains."
As they were about to walk, Seulgi caught Sooyoung smiling at her, the latter mouthing, "Like mother, like daughter."
---
Joohyun finally settled back on the couch, feeling relieved. Seungwan came back with a glass of water. "Here. Take this."
Joohyun downed it and handed back the empty glass to Seungwan. "I'm sorry. I... I panicked. I was worried Evens might attack them because she wouldn't stop crying..."
"We know... we know..." said Seungwan, slowly sitting back beside Joohyun. Joohyun's mom is rubbing her back to calm her down. "But it's okay now. They're heading to the Sanctuary now."
"Seungwan, can I call Yerim? I'm worried that she might look for me again. I'll assure her I'm here waiting for her."
Seungwan looked at Joohyun's mom, who gave her the same expression. "Okay. I'll talk to them. Please stay here."
---
"Captain Seulgi?"
"Yes?"
"We're patching through Mrs Kim on the line. She wants to talk to her daughter."
Seulgi felt her world stopped. Although she continued walking, her mind was flying somewhere else. She felt nervous, knowing she'll be hearing Joohyun's voice directly like they're just talking on the phone.
"Captain?"
Seulgi noticed Sooyoung waving at her, signalling her to answer the Control Room. "Ah. Yes. Give me a sec." She tapped the Yerim lightly. "Hey, your mom wants to talk to you."
Yerim lifted her head right away, finally letting out a small smile. "Mommy?"
Seulgi couldn't help but smile back. This is the first time she's got a good view of Yerim's face, and she can't deny the striking resemblance of the kid to her mother. "Yes, your mom wants to talk to you." She put one of the earpieces in Yerim's ear.
Yerim innocently held her ear with the earpiece. "Mommy?"
"Hey, sweetie! How's my baby?"
Seulgi cleared .
"I'm fine, Mommy. I'm with SAU."
"Yes. SAUs are good people, okay? No need to cry, sweetie."
"But, Yewim is scawed, Mommy..."
"Don't be scared, sweetie. You're with Captain Seulgi. You'll be safe."
Seulgi stiffened upon hearing that.
"Captain Seulgi?" Yerim looked at Seulgi like it's the first time she's seen a human being. Seulgi nodded at her.
"Yes, baby. You know Captain Seulgi, right?"
"Mm-mm. She's in the TV..." said Yerim, touching Seulgi's face with her free hand.
"Yes, and she will protect you from the monsters so there's no need to be scared, okay? If you keep crying aloud, the monsters will come to get you."
"Okay, Mommy. Yewim won't cwy anymowe..."
"That's good, sweetie. Mommy will see you in a bit, okay?"
"Okay, Mommy. Yabyu!"
"Oh, I love you too."
Seulgi had to stop in her tracks to take that in. She closed her eyes and took in a full breath. It feels weird hearing Joohyun's voice on the line saying I love you to another person now instead of hers.
No, she's not jealous of the kid. She's just melancholic about the past.
But her musing was disturbed by another earthquake. Seulgi hugged the kid out of instinct and crouched on the floor. The kid hugged Seulgi back and hid her face in Seulgi's shoulder.
The shaking lasted for about fifteen seconds before everything stopped.
"Captain, you okay?" asked Krystal.
"I'm fine. It's the second time now."
"Yes. I don't feel good about this," said Sooyoung.
"Me too," said Seulgi. "Let's hurry to the Sanctuary so we could rest for a bit."
"Aye, aye, Cap!"
Seulgi was about to stand when she noticed that Yerim was sobbing. "Hey, Yerim, what's wrong?" She felt something inside mentioning the kid's name.
Yerim didn't pull back and continued crying silently. "Yewim, scawed of ewquakes..."
Seulgi hugged the kid tightly. "Don't be scared. The earthquake is over now, see?"
"Yewim is scawed of monstews too. Lots of monstews hewe..."
Seulgi put the kid down and wiped the tears with her thumbs. "Hey. Don't be scared. You're with me."
The kid is pouting while looking down on the floor.
"Yerim, look at me." Seulgi lifted Yerim's chin so their eyes would meet. "No one will hurt you while I'm here. As long as you're with me, you're untouchable. Got that?"
Yerim nodded. "Pwomise?"
Seulgi patted the kid's head. "I promise."
---
Seungwan noticed Joohyun wiping tears from her eyes. She handed her friend her handkerchief. "Getting emotional?"
"It's just that she's saved me before, and now she's saving my daughter too," said Joohyun, sniffing. "I wonder when will be I able to get the chance to save her. All I did was hurt her."
"It's not like that. I'm sure that the time she had with you was one of the happiest moments in her life. It ended badly, yes, but I'm sure there are more good memories you both shared than that sour ending."
"I feel that it's unfair for her." Joohyun wiped her nose. "She always put others first before her own. She deserves to be happy too..."
"She's happy doing what she's doing now. We all know that."
"I'm feeling guilty, I guess. She's all about saving the world and loving me, you know. And I... I betrayed her, Seungwan. And even after all that had happened, there she is, being kind to Yerim."
"Joohyun, darling, don't feel sorry about that," said Joohyun's mom. "It was not your fault."
"You don't understand, Mom..."
"I do understand because I saw you, Hyun. I saw you suffer. You were lonely. You needed her. But she wasn't around."
"But that doesn't justify what I did."
"Are you saying that you regret marrying Junmyeon and having Yerim?"
"I don't regret having Yerim. She's my life now. I just regret hurting Seulgi."
"You shouldn't put all the blame on yourself, Joohyun," said Seungwan. "Yes, you were at your weakest that time, but she knows you're not going to leave her. Unfortunately, she made a choice that doesn't include you in it."
---
"Just in time." Amber looked out the window. The troop made it to Sanctuary Four even before it rained.
The troop sat around the tiny chairs. Seulgi put Yerim down, who observed the place first before starting to walk around.
"Look at you, little Joohyun." Sooyoung knelt in front of the kid. "You look just like your mom, huh?"
Yerim, whose one finger is in , smiled at Sooyoung.
"How old are you, little baby?" asked Sooyoung.
Yerim held out four fingers. "I'm f-fouw..."
"Wow. She knows her age!" Krystal clapped.
Yerim turned to Krystal. "B-but next week, I'll be like this." She held out five fingers towards Krystal.
"Oh. It's your birthday next week? Are you going to have a party?"
Yerim smiled cutely, her eyes disappearing. "Yeah. Mommy will invite you all."
"That's nice, Yerim," said Sooyoung. "Are you being a good girl to mom?"
Yerim nodded. "Mmm-mmm. Yewim's always a good giwl..."
"Can I hug you?"
Without second thoughts, Yerim wrapped her arms around Sooyoung's neck. Amber and Krystal find it cute.
"How about a kiss?" Sooyoung gestured to her cheek. Yerim kissed her. "Awe. That's so sweet of you."
"How about me, Yerim? Can I have a kiss too?" Amber pointed at her cheek.
The kid stared at Amber for a moment before she turns away to run towards Seulgi. Everyone laughed.
"See? Even the little girl knows you're a maniac," said Krystal, getting a scoff from Amber. She turned to Seulgi, who's now placing Yerim on her lap. "Pretty kid, ain't she, Cap?"
"And very sweet too," said Seulgi, after Yerim kissed her in the cheek. She noticed the kid is observing all the pockets in her suit. "Curious, aren't ya?"
"Holes," said Yerim, putting her hands in all the pockets she could find. Her hand finally landed on Seulgi's left arm, grasping it.
"And what are you doing to my arm?"
Yerim looked at Seulgi with a smile on her face. "Just checking..." Her little hands are squeezing Seulgi's arm gently.
Seulgi smiled, remembering how Joohyun used to do that to her before.
"By the way, since it looks like we'll be staying here for a bit, why don't you tell us the rest of the story, Sooyoung?" said Amber.
"Story?"
"About why Cap and Honey broke up."
"Ahh. That. I think it's more of different things happening all at once. I guess they weren't able to take it." Sooyoung looked at Seulgi. "Honestly, I felt partly responsible for it. I urged Seulgi to take the SAU test that year."
"It wasn't your fault," said Seulgi. She's holding Yerim on her lap while the kid is busy playing with the buttons on her suit. "Right from the start, you knew I wanted to be in SAU. I changed my plans because I don't want her to worry."
"But you still took the exam, Cap?" asked Krystal.
"I did. Only because Sooyoung wants me to accompany her. It wasn't serious. I was taking it for the sake of experiencing it. And even if I'll pass, I won't continue."
"Then, what changed your mind?" asked Amber.
"Just like Sooyoung said, a lot has happened that year." Seulgi gave her hand to Yerim, who's playing on it now. "First is, when her dad died."
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