Recap

Hailey gave her head a nod and felt her hands tremble slightly.

“You seem nervous?” Sungyeol questioned with suspicion.

“Oh no. It’s just the fright from earlier that’s all.” Hailey denied and secretly pinched herself to get her act back together. This isn’t going to be good…

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

A hanging light swung back and forth, swaying like the pendulum of an antique clock. It produced waves of light, creating visibility for the sound proof room.  With walls made of brick and the ground constructed with concrete, it produced an eerie feel. In the middle of the room and directly under the dangling light, sat Daehyun, secured to a chair with built in cuffs. His head hung low and limbs totally restless.

The door burst open and two individuals entered. A male and a female. The male had an loaded gun and a crowbar while the female held no weapon except for a small bucket filled with water.

“Sungyeol, you do it.” The female said and handed the bucket over.

Sungyeol sighed. “Sure.”

He hastily raised the bucket and splashed the contents all over Daehyun. “This should wake him up.”

Daehyun gasped.  The cold wetness surprised him.

“I’m going to call Hailey in here.” The female announced. “You know why right?”

Sungyeol nodded. “Yes Min.”

Min gave a smile and left the room leaving Sungyeol with their new prey.

Just moments later, Hailey had stepped inside. She gulped. Seeing Daehyun tied up and not knowing if he will live to see tomorrow made Hailey nervous. Although, he didn’t confirm it, she was almost certain he was the boy who saved her ten years ago.

Sungyeol walked over to Hailey and held out the gun in his hand, inching it closer until she received it. Hailey’s mouth felt dry and there was a lump in she couldn’t swallow.

“What do you want me to do with this?” She said, not being able to hide the fear in her voice.

“Nothing…yet.” Sungyeol replied and walked over to Daehyun.

He grabbed his blonde hair and pulled his head back. “What’s your name?”

Daehyun winced in pain. “D-daehyun, Jung Daehyun.”

Sungyeol smirked. “And how do you know Hailey? A friend? A lover perhaps? Or are you the enemy?”

As he asked each question, his grip tightened. Hailey could see the veins coursing through Daehyun’s neck. If Sungyeol was to pull back any further, Daehyun might be decapitated. The muscles in Hailey’s hands numbed and she dropped the gun.

“Sungyeol stop. He’s not the enemy!” Hailey enforced and rushed over to place her hand on Sungyeol’s arm to ease the strength of his grip.

Sungyeol glared at Hailey. A glare Hailey didn’t think she’ll have to witness again. Those same eyes that seem to stare right through her, just like the day she knocked on Fire’s door.

“Hailey…?” Daehyun whispered as he caught a glimpse of her next to Sungyeol.

Sungyeol released his hand and shrugged Hailey’s hand away.  He picked up the crowbar from the floor and without a moment of notice, smashed it against Daehyun’s head.

A deafening cry filled the room. It echoed in Hailey’s ears as she felt her heart race in panic. Blood trickled down Daehyun’s head and just seconds after, his eyelids fell and he out.

Sungyeol lifted his arm, preparing to attack again. Hailey hurriedly stepped in between them.

“Sungyeol stop!” She cried, her pupils shaking.

Sungyeol raised an eyebrow. “Why should I?”

Hailey raked her head for words but she seemed to have lost the ability to speak.  

“He was looking for you when we were on our job Hailey.” He paused, “Just who are you?”

Sungyeol searched her eyes, not sure if he was ready to listen to her response. If Min was right, this would be his last time speaking to her… forever.

Hailey felt hot tears roll down her face, her body was trembling. The only thoughts running in her head were strategies to save Daehyun, nothing else. “I’m–”

“Don’t say it.” Sungyeol suddenly yelled, “Don’t say it.”  He repeated, only this time as a whisper, a total contrast to his previous tone. His face hardened. He had a hunch that the next few words he was going to hear meant he had to kill her.

Hailey didn’t know what he was thinking. She wasn’t sure how much he had suspected or how much he already knew. One thing she knew for certain though was he didn’t want to kill her. At least not yet.

“Daehyun’s innocent I swear, he–”

“I’m sorry Hailey but rules are rules.” Sungyeol cut her off. “He saw us. If anyone from Phoenix finds out, do you think our plan is going to be successful?”

“We can just make him promise to keep it a secret,” Hailey persuaded urgently.

“Do you know how to make sure someone keeps their mouth shut?” Sungyeol bent over and picked up the gun Hailey had dropped and pointed it in front of him, “When they’re dead.”

Hailey spread her arms beside her, covering Daehyun as much as she could.

“Sungyeol, don’t do this,” she pleaded.

“Hailey, I told you, this isn’t a choice, it’s a rule.” Sungyeol said, “Now move.”

“No you’re wrong! The decision of the shooter is up to him. Remember, your mind may be in charge of your decisions, but your heart is the one that decides them.” Hailey recited the quote from the book Sungyeol’s mother had written.

“H-how? Who told you…?” Sungyeol’s voice wavered and Hailey could see his hand shake.

“Sungyeol. I know you don’t want this. Blame me for spying or whatever but I’ve seen you. I’ve seen you take care of those kittens. I know that you’re actually a really caring person. You don’t have to kill. Not now, and not ever.”

“Hailey… I,” Sungyeol tightened his grip on the gun. “Get out the way Hailey or you’ll leave me with no choice.”

Hailey stood her ground and squeezed her eyes shut, embracing herself for the bullet that was going to soar right through her.

BANG!

Hailey’s heart skipped a beat as the sound of the gun went off. Hailey felt the bullet whiz in the air, not sure if it hit her or the person she was protecting.

Sungyeol was breathing heavily. He dropped the gun and punched the brick wall behind him to release his frustrations. As he slowly removed his hands from the wall, blood dripped from his knuckles, creating a small pool of red liquid on the concrete floor. He had purposely missed his shot.

Hailey opened her eyes, her whole body was trembling. She turned around and saw no bullet wounds on Daehyun and she definitely didn’t feel any pain.

“Thank you.” Hailey said as her voice quivered.

Sungyeol clenched his jaw and retrieved a key from his pocket. “Make sure no one sees him when you leave.” He informed as he chucked the key over in Hailey’s direction.

He walked out the room and Hailey’s legs gave way. She collapsed into a heap on the floor, her face all covered with tear stains. She could’ve died right then.

Remembering the fact that Daehyun was bleeding to death behind her, she quickly scrambled over to release the iron cuffs on him.

“Just hang on ok? You’ll be fine.” She said reassuringly as she grabbed his face. She took her top off, revealing only her singlet and pressed it onto Daehyun’s wound, trying the stop the bleeding. “You’re going to be fine.”

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

Hailey had successfully carried Daehyun outside the building and had taken a taxi to a park where no one from Fire would come to find her. Daehyun was still unconscious. She had carried him to a bench and rested his head on her lap.

“Just hang in there,” she said as she pressed on his wound with one hand and took out her phone with the other.

“Hello? Jongup? I need help, Daehyun’s been hurt… really badly!” She cried eagerly into her phone.

“Where are you?” Jongup asked, panic filling his voice.

“I’m at some… park. There’s a fountain here, and across from it is...” Hailey squinted so she could see the sign opposite her in the darkness of night, “It’s in front of Nana’s Fabric and Textiles.”

“Ok, stay there. I’m coming.”

Hailey put her phone back in her pocket and wiped the tears that were still not listening to her. “I’m so sorry,” she said in between sniffs and closed her eyes to pray that Jongup would arrive quickly.

Daehyun felt something wet drop onto his eyelids, his head was aching and he was really thirsty. He gathered as much saliva as he could and swallowed but that only increased his thirst.

“W-water,” he croaked and Hailey’s eyes flipped open.

“Daehyun?”

“Water...” he said again.

Hailey wiped the tears from her face, “You’re ok,” a relieved smile formed on her face. “You’re ok!” She exclaimed and lifted Daehyun from her lap so she could hug him.

“I’m so sorry Daehyun. I’m so sorry this happened.”

Daehyun’s head felt heavy and he just let it rest on Hailey’s shoulders, letting the sound of her voice relax him.

When Hailey finally released him she gazed into his eyes with a look of relief. “Daehyun… I know this may sound stupid and weird and it’s just probably me assuming things,” Hailey took a deep breath, “but are you… by any chance, are you the boy who helped me ten years ago?”

Daehyun felt his head throb and he winced. “Who–are you?”

Hailey froze. Her body stopped as her ears transmitted his words until she could understand them. “Daehyun it’s me, Hailey.”

Daehyun winced again. “It’s hurts.” He said in a voice that was barely audible and before he could say anything else, everything before him became out of focus.

“Daehyun?” Hailey said in alarm. “Daehyun!”

All the muscles in Daehyun’s body became weak, he tried to force his body to move but it was already too late. His vision soon turned black and his body fell forward, landing tiredly on Hailey.

Author's Notes

Thank you everyone for reading! <3 Please leave a comment and look forward to the next chapter ^^