[CONTENTID1]Phoenix[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Thirty-Three[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

The moment the ship reached the harbor, Baekhyun jumped over its railing. His boots hit the wooden dock. Blood rushed in his ears as he made his way to the hospital. Remnants of dissipating smoke clouded the air above the tall building, visible from far away. Its stench hung over the entire city, increasing his dread. The fire must have been devastating. More so than he had imagined.

He rounded a street corner and reached the large square in front of the hospital. The building itself was closed off with red tape, and a group of soldiers lingered at the entrance, engaged in a discussion. A few civilians were gathered there as well, wanting to see the extent of the damages since they were rightfully worried. Dark green tents were set up on the square, belonging to the military’s medical service. They were marked with a red cross, and Baekhyun recognized them instantly. Presumably, this was where the patients would be treated until the hospital was deemed safe to enter—and this was where he hoped to find Seri.

He spotted Minho and Kibum in front of a tent, confirming his suspicion. They waved him over when they noticed him. “She’s safe,” Minho said. They didn’t bother greeting each other. One glance and a simple nod was enough for the soldiers. Baekhyun disappeared in the tent, needing to see her as soon as possible.

“Seri,” he panted, approaching the only occupied bed in the tent. The woman lying in it was pale, her hair soiled with ash. An intense smell of smoke clung to her clothes. He scrunched his nose, worry clouding his gaze since she didn’t open her eyes when he spoke. Was she unconscious or just asleep?

“Seri?” His voice quieted down and became a mere whisper, shaking with dread. “Are you… can you hear me?” He touched her cold cheek, hoping to wake her up. His gaze wandered over her, searching for injuries. Her hands were bruised, and the nurses had placed an IV line in her arm for infusions. Otherwise, he couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

Seri’s head moved, and her eyelids fluttered. She blinked at the blurry figure above her until her vision became clearer. “You’re back,” she whispered drowsily, rubbing her eyes. “Everything okay?”

He inhaled sharply. “Evidently not. I leave you alone for one day, and I come back to this...”

“I’m fine.” She closed her eyes briefly, shaking off the exhaustion. Her hand moved to the IV line as if she had only just realized it was there. Baekhyun’s prolonged silence spoke volumes, as did his eyes—he did not believe her.

“I asked the soldiers to pick up Minhee from school because I was worried… Kibum and Minho wouldn’t let me leave,” Seri whispered. “They sent Taemin to pick her up.”

“Well, they’re right. You’re a target, and in your current state, it would be easy to overwhelm you. Leave this to Taemin, he’s trustworthy.” Baekhyun sat on the edge of her bed and reached for her hand on top of the blanket. He put it in his palm and studied the broken skin on her knuckles. “Who attacked you?” he asked, his voice dropping to a whisper. It didn’t sound particularly friendly.

She coughed, scrunched her brows. “It was one of my former patients. His last name is Jung… I don’t remember his first name, but it’s in his patient file. We should check it later. He visited the hospital during my shift; it’s been a while since then. I found him a little odd since he asked many personal questions, but I never considered him to be one of the traitors.”

“Such a rat,” Baekhyun hissed. “The more I hear about this guy, the more I hate him.”

“He was in my and Wendy’s office and tried to sedate me. Tried is the keyword here.” Pale as she was, the resolve in her voice was solid.

“You kicked his .”

“Until he had enough and escaped through the smoke-filled hallway.”

Baekhyun raised his brow at her revelation. “That’s my Seri. Hopefully he learned not to mess with you. If he ever tries something again, he’ll answer to me.” For a fraction of a second, his gaze held a murderous glint, an intense desire for revenge. However, when his eyes were drawn to her, it was gone as if it had never been there. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards, softening his expression.

“You ought to rest for a while, I’m not letting you return to work until you’re better,” he proclaimed somewhat strictly, guiding her hand to his lips. She felt their tender touch on her knuckles and smiled.

“You worry too much, I’ll be fine in no time!” To underline her point, she sat up.

“Careful!” he frowned.

“I’m not made of glass, Baek.”

“I know, I know. You’re tough,” he replied, leaning closer to envelop her in his arms. He embraced her gently, putting his calloused palms on her back and resting his chin on her shoulder. She felt warm, soft, welcoming. Baekhyun’s eyes closed as he exhaled, letting go of the intense fear that had befallen him ever since he heard about the fire in the hospital. His other half was safe. She buried her face near his chest, in the fabric of his worn uniform.

“This feels nice,” she sighed. “Did everything go well on your trip to Wando?”

“Yes, we returned with a group of survivors. There were no major injuries.”

The couple heard a conversation just outside the tent, mixing with the bubbly voice of Minhee. Not much later, someone opened the tent, and Taemin stuck his head inside. “You got a visitor,” he grinned and let the girl pass.

“Thank you for picking her up, Taemin,” Seri said.

“I owe you one,” Baekhyun added.

“It’s fine. See you guys later!” Taemin waved and disappeared while Minhee set her sights on her parents.

“Mama! Are you sick? What happened?” Her small hands tugged at Seri’s blanket, and her words came out so fast that they were difficult to hear. The wide, fearful eyes of her daughter broke Seri’s heart, so she plastered a smile on her face and opened her arms for Minhee.

“Come here, honey. I’m alright, don’t worry about me. I just need some rest and then I’ll be as good as new.”

Baekhyun made space so that Minhee could sit on the bed. She put her head on Seri’s chest and hugged her, making a relieved noise. Seri’s hand her head with calming motions, giving her a warm and loving embrace.

“Is it true?” Minhee wondered, glancing at Baekhyun for confirmation.

The soldier nodded and showed a crooked smile. “It is. We’ll go home together later after we talked to one of the doctors here. Your Mama will be fine.”

He made it sound so simple and easy for Minhee’s sake, but nothing about their situation was simple. They had to find Wendy and Dr. Kwon. Since they had been kidnapped instead of killed on the spot, their abductors needed them alive. However, without any leads of their whereabouts, searching for the women equaled looking for a needle in a haystack. Seri only had one clue—Mr. Jung. She knew what he looked like and would immediately recognize him if he showed himself in Jeju City.

The sun was about to set, but the day was far from over for EX9 and Seri. How could they rest while two people were missing, taken from right under the military’s nose? The young doctor had fought tooth and nail to be allowed to join the emergency meeting inside the administrative building. Baekhyun could be quite stern when he was concerned, so they had argued back and forth until he had given in, though he would have been happier if she had agreed to rest. She was pale as a ghost and clearly not feeling well. Yeji volunteered to babysit Minhee in the meantime until they were done. This way, at least their daughter would get the rest she needed.

All members of EX9 as well as members of other special force units were present and discussed the problem at hand. They were gathered in the largest conference room of the building. Since night was falling, it had been lit up with countless candles. The weak lighting made the soldier’s faces appear grim and intimidating. They were scowling, angry that their well-planned protection for the two women had failed.

“We’ll search the entire island systematically, starting with Jeju City,” Minho muttered, crossing his arms.

Baekhyun frowned at the suggestion, cocking his head. “It would take a long time, and there’s only a slim chance for success. It’s easy to hide in a place like Jeju. The city offers too many great options for hiding spots.”

“Then what do you suggest instead?” Minho sighed. His forehead creased. “We can’t abandon them, we have to help.”

“Yes, we have to find them as soon as possible! I don’t care if we have to search the entire ing island, I’ll do it!” Chanyeol burst out in desperation. He was beside himself with worry and irritation—coming home from an exhausting mission only to be confronted with Wendy’s abduction took its toll on him.

“Chanyeol, calm down. We’ll solve this,” Junmyeon cut in.

“Easier said then done,” his friend groaned. “She must be scared right now… I can’t just sit and do nothing.”

“Maybe we’re lucky and Jung shows himself again. Every soldier on the island is on the lookout, thanks to Seri’s description. If we capture him, we’ll make him talk,” Yixing said.

Taeyong seemed to consider it, but his frown deepened. “If he has accomplices, which I’m sure he does, he could easily stay hidden for as long as he wants and let them do the dirty work.”

Their discussion wasn’t going anywhere—they didn’t have a solution even though it had been hours since they met up. Seri was battling her exhaustion and a nasty headache, struggling to follow the conversation. Meanwhile, Baekhyun seemed more agitated than tired, propping his elbows up on the table and and glaring holes into the white surface.

“I have an idea,” Seri spoke up suddenly. Her raspy voice was quiet, yet prompted everyone to glance at her with thi