Heartbeat

“What happened? I thought we told them to save her. Why did they want to kill her instead?” Jihoon asked as he stared worriedly next to the Immortal laying on the bed. 

Jun placed a hand on Jihoon’s shoulder and squeezed. He sighed and watched the pale Immortal in bed grunt and twitch every few seconds. 

“Something went wrong,” Minghao pointed out. Everyone turned to stare at him. 

“Like what?” Seokmin questioned. “I’m not sure,” Minghao replied, turning his head to look at Hoshi. 

Hoshi nodded, “I agree with Minghao. Those Seekers are more than we think,” he stated, earning gasps from the younger Immortals.

“Hey!” Mingyu roared loudly from the hallway. “Stop!” Jeonghan shouted next. The Immortals in the room spun around and saw Haneul standing by the door, panting for breath and looking paler than usual. 

Hoshi’s eyes widened and he walked over to her. “Human, you should stay in bed,” he told her. Haneul shook her head, “Who was it?” she muffled. “What?” Hoshi wondered. “I heard them. They said someone tried saving me, but ended up...unconscious...” she was careful with her words, not wanting to mention death at all. 

“You need to go back,” Hoshi said and grabbed Haneul’s arms. He tried dragging her away, but she went loose and ran towards the surrounding Immortals. They made way for her, knowing she was hurt and couldn’t fight them off like she usually could.

Haneul gasped at the colorless figure on the bed. Her eyes widened and she looked at the rest of the Immortals. “What happened?” she questioned. 

“Most likely his inner demon tempted him and he had resisted. The demon attacked, and well, now he’s there facing the consequences,” Seongcheol told Haneul. Much to his surprise, he wasn’t getting angry. 

“Is that even possible?” Haneul shot back. 

“Yes, it is, Miss Haneul,” Minghao mumbled. Haneul shook her head, eyes watery. She stared down at the Immortal on the bed, grabbing his hands into her small ones.

It was all that the Immortal needed to wake up. 

Her touch.

Wonwoo’s eyes shot wide open, staring into the ceiling. Haneul stumbled backwards in shock and was held steady by Hoshi before she jolted to the floor. She inched her hand towards Wonwoo’s face and was quickly grabbed in return. 

Wonwoo glared at Haneul and then softened his feature. 

He realized who it was. 

Wonwoo’s hand loosened and he looked into Haneul’s eyes. “Are you alright, Haneul?” he questioned. 

Haneul nodded, “I am. Thank you...” she mumbled. Wonwoo let go of Haneul’s hand and took a deep breath. “Are you?” she asked in return.

Slowly, the Immortals surrounding the room carried out of the door, leaving Wonwoo and Haneul alone in his room all the while Jihoon complained angrily why he must leave when he shared a room with the same Immortal.

Wonwoo nodded and tried sitting up. He grunted at the leftover pain and leaned against the headboard. He sighed, “It is great that you are fine,” he muttered. Haneul’s eyes rounded just a little as she stared at him curiously. 

“Why did you save me?” she questioned. “We never really knew each other...” she added. Wonwoo turned his head and eyed the human in front of him. 

There was a brief moment of silence until Wonwoo answered, “If you ask me now, I do not have an accurate answer. I just...I don’t know. I just had to save you.” 

Haneul arched a brow and smiled, “Well, thank you for saving me,” she replied, staring into Wonwoo’s dark brown eyes. 

Wonwoo waited for Apathy to mock him, to mock that his heart was beating faster than usual. To mock him again for caring for the stranger in front of him. Nonetheless, a human.

But Apathy had disappeared again. Wonwoo could definitely get used to that. 

“Did a demon attack you?” Haneul asked suddenly. 

Wonwoo’s eyes widened, “What?” he replied. 

“I’ve heard...from them...and the Seekers. Who and what you are. Is that true?” she couldn’t help asking. 

Wonwoo gulped and stared at Haneul, noticing the bandage wrapped around her neck was slowly dampened by her own blood. He reached forward and grabbed the back of Haneul’s neck. She gasped at the sudden touch, but he ignored her initial shock. 

Wonwoo laid her head down on his lap, her wound facing him. He hovered a hand over her injury and her neck stopped bleeding almost instantly. 

Haneul’s jaw dropped as Wonwoo sat her up. 

“H-How did you do that?” she stuttered. 

Wonwoo smirked, “I may be the keeper of Apathy, but that doesn’t mean I can’t heal. I have powers,” he teased and tapped her nose. Haneul pouted and Wonwoo’s heart skipped yet another beat. 

“So it's true. You guys aren’t normal,” Haneul muffled, staring at Wonwoo. The Immortal looked away, careful not to stare back at the human. “My brother’s lifelong dream is really true. T-This is reality....everything. He hasn’t wasted his life for nothing. Everything...is real...” Haneul mumbled to herself. 

Wonwoo looked up at her, tilting his head curiously. “Your brother?” he questioned. 

Haneul nodded, “He’s from the Institute.”

At the mention of the Institute, Wonwoo’s eyes grew wide. “Your brother is a Seeker?” he tried to ask Haneul calmly. 

Haneul wasn’t sure if Hanbit was a Seeker or not. She only knew he dedicated