Recap

She rubbed her arms to generate heat and silently walked back to Fire's base.

For some reason, she had a feeling that Min had planned this from the very beginning...

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Min drummed her fingers on her desk. She had summoned Sungyeol to her office a few minutes after Hailey left, telling him about Hailey’s job.

“Do you remember when I said that I didn’t trust her?” Min asked him.

Sungyeol nodded, he wasn’t sure where this was leading.

“Well, I’ve sent her on a little test,” a grin appeared on Min’s face, “and… I have a feeling this test will give her a little warning. You know, if she really was planning something, this would scare her a little. Give her a taste of the consequences of betrayal.”

Min laughed.

She was now swivelling in her chair. Thinking her plan was absolutely brilliant. Sungyeol silently stared at her in disgust. As much as he was grateful to her for taking him in, he didn’t like the way she would run things, scheming scenarios that only held beneficial for herself.

“What did you make her do?” Sungyeol asked and couldn’t hide his sharp tone.

“Why? You worried?” Min said and stood up from her chair. “Let me assure you, she’ll still be alive, but her mentality… I’m not so sure.”

Sungyeol stormed forward and slammed both his hands on the table. Making whatever rested on it shake from the impact.

“She better come back in one piece Min.” His tone was threatening.

Min gave a half smile, “What do we have here? Sungyeol, please tell me you haven’t… developed a liking towards her.”

Sungyeol glared at her. When he didn’t deny it, his silence was enough to answer Min’s question.

“Why Sungyeol?” Min asked. Sungyeol could tell she was starting to get irritated.

“Why?” Sungyeol repeated confused.

“Why is it her? What did she do to make you like this?” Min questioned, almost furious.

Sungyeol stared at her in disbelief.

“Why do you think I choose you to be in charge, Sungyeol? Why do you think I listened to every single one of your requests?” Min waited for a response but didn’t get one, “I can’t believe how oblivious you are! I did all of this so I could spend more time with you. So I could be near you…” her voice trailed off but soon a smirk replaced her expressions, “But that’s all over now. The obstacle that’s standing between us should be mentally irreparable by now.”

She reached her hand out and touched Sungyeols face. Sungyeol slapped it away, heart pounding after hearing her last sentence. He instantly turned his heels, ran out her office and into the night. He heard Min’s faint calls to stop and ignored them. Finding Hailey was the only thought that ran inside his head, he had to save her, but from what? He didn’t even know. Having no knowledge of where she even was, he sprinted towards the silent streets, thinking where Min might have sent her.

White vapour escaped his mouth as he breathed out. His mind wondered off to negativities. Thinking if Hailey was beaten up and had her corpse left for wild dogs to feed on, or the other option… having things done to her that were against her will.

Sungyeol looked around him. He didn’t have a clue where to start looking. He was only wasting valuable time. He stopped in the middle of the street and allowed himself to catch up on his breathing. This wasn’t getting him anywhere. He turned the next corner and halted. In the distance he could make out a figure, he was sure it was a girl. She was wearing a black dress and had her head hung low which made her difficult to recognise.

Not sparing a second to waste, Sungyeol raced to her direction. As he got closer he could almost make out her features. If only she had looked up.

The girl heared loud footsteps running her way. Her mind instantly thought of the bald man and his mates. Did he catch up? Her head shot up just to make sure, so she could run away when they weren't too close.

Sungyeol’s mouth parted and he picked up his pace. It was Hailey! Hailey seemed to look as surprised as he was. Seeing Sungyeol’s dark figure running towards her, she thought she was hallucinating. That was soon erased when Sungyeol’s body crashed onto hers. His arms wrapped around her cold shoulders. Hailey felt his hand behind her head, pushing it towards him, hugging her tightly in the darkness.

Hailey was relieved that Sungyeol had come to find her. For a split moment she forgot about the bakery, she forgot about her purpose, and she just wanted to feel the comfort of Sungyeol’s arms. A gust of wind suddenly blew its way in their direction. Feeling the sharp coldness, both of them decided it was a better idea to go home where it was warm than stand outside and freeze.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sungyeol held her hand as they walked back in silence. He didn’t ask her what happened or why she was wearing such skimpy clothes.

Sungyeol stared at her bare feet and Hailey fidgeted, feeling ashamed and without the protection of shoes. Sungyeol immediately took his own shoes off and stared pointedly at them, eyeing Hailey to put them on. Hailey shook her head but Sungyeol heavily insisted. His persuasion proved to be effective and she reluctantly stepped into them. She didn’t realise how small her feet were in comparison to his. She felt his warmth still lingering inside the shoe and it created a comfortable barrier from the icy ground.

They had reached back inside their room and Sungyeol was still holding onto her hand. He had been holding it for the whole walk and Hailey couldn't suppress the smile that sneaked its way across her face. Sungyeol sat her on the edge of the bed and placed his hands on her shoulder.

“Are you…ok?” He asked worriedly, showing Hailey his subtle gentle side.

“I’m fine, nothing really happened. I’m just a little traumatised,” Hailey said. Her voice was weak.

Sungyeol examined her face and noticed the small cut that grazed her cheek. He lifted his thumb over the tiny opening and softly brushed against it. “Does it hurt?”

Hailey avoided eye contact due to embarrassment and faintly shook her head. She could feel her body temperature rise and her heart race. Why was her body acting this way? It wasn’t as if this was the first time they had shared any skinship. Sungyeol’s hand was now cupped against her face. Hailey could feel his eyes burning their way through her. Once she looked up, it was all over. She was lost. Her eyes stared straight into his. Hailey didn't know how to describe them, they looked like black marbles resting in a calm ocean of chocolate brown. From a distance, they were mesmerising but from up close, they drew her in, like magnets made to attract.

Sungyeol’s face inched closer and Hailey felt her own eyes close. Two emotions arose inside her, anticipation and fear. She couldn’t tell which emotion outweighed the other. She never expected herself to go along with this nor did she expect the fear that followed.

Sungyeol stopped when he was just hovering over her lips. He had no right to take this from her, not until he knew what her true feelings were. Instead he lifted his head and planted a kiss on her forehead.

“I’ll always be here for you.” he whispered, “just like the times you were for me.”

He then stood up and walked away from any temptation he had developed. He mentally gave himself a gold star. That was the responsible thing to do. He left the room and thought that maybe, tonight, it was best if he slept outside.

Somehow, Hailey felt disappointed and it surprised her. Was she expecting too much?  Did she really want something to spark between them, a relationship deeper than just members? She shook her head, what was she thinking? They were enemies, enemies! Sungyeol was going to attack her gang and if anything really did happen, it would never work out.

Hailey’s heart was still racing. She needed to cool down. Instead of walking out to the bathroom where Sungyeol might be, she decided it was safer to just sleep. That way the two of them wouldn’t have to say anything.

But before she could bring herself to close her eyes, the thought of how Sungyeol treated her itched at the back of her mind. 

She sat up on her bed, flustered and confused. She was going off track. She needed to find out when Fire was going to attack her home, not stay here and expect something to happen between her enemy and herself.

Enemy…

Was Sungyeol really her enemy? If she was asked this question a few weeks ago, her answer would’ve been a solid ‘yes’, but now, she wasn’t sure if she thought of him like that anymore. Moreover, she wasn’t sure what kind of feelings she was beginning to develop either. Was it Sungyeol’s subtle kindness that she liked, or was it just everything about him that seemed to draw her in.

Hailey messed up her hair and stared blankly at the closed door. She wondered what Sungyeol was thinking when she had closed her eyes at his touch. Did he think that she was being a fool? Making herself vulnerable so easily. Did he think that maybe, the reason for his action was because he had started to… fall for her? Or maybe, it was a test, like Min’s, to see how she would react.

Hailey let her body fall to the bed. With all these mixed feelings bubbling inside her, she wasn’t sure she could do this anymore. She didn’t want to lie to Sungyeol, she didn’t want to see him hurt and even more than that, she didn’t want to betray him. He was already betrayed once by someone he loved, she didn’t want to repeat it. 

She took her secret phone from under her pillow and with a final decision she began to text Jongup.

To: Jongup

From: Hailey

Jongup... when I find out the date of the attack, I’m going to stop immediately. I’m going to stop this and come back before I regret everything, and before I emotionally break down.

I don’t think I can do this much longer...

Author's Notes

My dear lovely, wonderful, amazing readers: HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!  I'm so glad I finished this chapter in time :D

Since I can't personally come and hug you all, this Valentines Day special is my gift to you. ^^ 

I hope you liked it! >.< 

And as always, thank you for reading <3