Work Text:
We'll never get free
Lamb to the slaughter
What you gon' do
When there's blood in the water?
The price of your greed
is your son and your daughter
what you gon' do
When there's blood in the water?
- Blood // water (Grandson)
It started with an explosion accompanied by a scream. Then another. Soon enough, it was a chorus of desperate blood curdling wailing that shot through the sky and spread like wildfire surging through dry grass and the window that overlooked the disaster, trembled under the pressure of her fingertips. In the blink of an eye, the screaming intensified tenfold and loud crashes synced with it. Her fingertips pressed harder against the glass and the swaying of the ground under her feet matched with it to prove that it was not mere illusion.
The unnamed building down the street toppled down to its front. The dense smoke emerging was suffocating her even from the considerable distance and her palpitating heart did little to make her forget that it was because the smoke was mixed with the cries of pain of people being crushed to their deaths. The dirty white smoke was bloody, not by color. The building that toppled down was more than just a huge building settled at the forefront of a huge city with a huge population; it was the start of the toppling of humanity.
Debris flew up and rained down on the narrowly escaping passer-bys. Cars that were stationary from traffic crashed against each other, crushing people in between them. The ones who were the closest to the fall and alive had no choice but to leave their treasurable cars and run away as far as they possibly could with their hearts pounding in their throats and death chasing them. The rush-hour traffic blocked roads echoed honks and shrieks below her, the building debris still falling heavy. Her hands fisted against the glass.
Her eyes fell upon a child. A red coat covered his entirety and he was nervously looking around with his short, black hair bouncing at the movement. Barely dodging all the pushes and bumps, he moved between the still cars, flinching at the honks and screams. His lips parted, slightly at first and by the time he stood at a fixed spot, he too was probably screaming something as he looked around. It was impossible for her to derive what he was mouthing from so far away but maybe if she could focus on the little boy's lips more and read-
The boy was pushed to the ground when one old man crashed into him. He got up in a hurry, screaming at the child laying at his feet, profanities, she supposed. Her heart ached as she saw the boy trying to get back up on his feet but failing as more and more people ran through, stepping on him, trampling on him until he wasn't visible anymore.
Only when the tickle on her cheek flowed down, she realized she was crying. Her fisted hands banged against the glass in desperation. Her chapped lips burned at the salty water that poured on them from her eyes and they parted to let out a choked sob when another explosion made her flinch back. S & Y Enterprise toppled down to the ground and the screams of the people intensified a hundred times over. Dust and debris clouded the sky, troubling her vision. The glass windows shattered so deafeningly, it felt her breaking heart had joined them. Screeches of people, cries of despondency, and the crashes of the building and the wail of the people on the street losing the last ounce of hope drilled through her ears. They burned her insides until she was on her knees, screaming and pounding against the glass until the raw skin of her knuckles left blood trails against the glass.
The afternoon sky was darker than any night sky. Her heart squeezed at the dirty smoke that clouded her window so that the only sense that perseveres is her hearing; the ear-splitting screams that made blood run cold, the impact of huge chunks of building hitting the ground, crushing people under its disgusting weight. Her sore throated screams weren't half as imminent as the painful wails that rang up from the street below her. Her hands slipped from the glass, leaving behind bloody imprints. She fisted her hair between her fingers and pulled at it, as if that would loosen the grasp all those dying people had on her. Her body racked with muffled sobs. The horrific sounds still creeping up the building, pinched at her skin giving rise to goosebumps.
Looking up through blurry eyes, she noticed the cloud clearing before her window to reveal the devastated street below. The receding smoke still hid a majority of the view but it had already unleashed the horror before her. Splatters of blood were left like a huge sadistic graffiti on the street. Crushed piles of stone above cars looked like tiny hills on lands of blood bathed history and above one such pile stood the same little boy in red coat who made her shed the firsts of a thunderstorm that was about to be unleashed in her eyes. His unkempt hair barely revealed half of his face. She moved forward pressing her face to the glass to see him better before falling back again. Blood dripped down the side of his face that remained covered by his hair. His uncovered eye was staring right at her, right through her. He opened his mouth again. Determined to decipher his words this time, she pressed further up against the glass again to read his lips.
"K-a-n-g"
'Kang?' She thought to herself before he continued mouthing.
"S-o-l"
She dropped from her kneeling position, flinching back until her back hit an obstruction. But the boy continued.
"Kang Sol"
"Kang Sol"
"Kang Sol"
She frantically scratched her head, hitting herself. How could she possibly hear him? But he continued relentlessly, always louder than the last time.
"Kang Sol"
"Kang Sol"
She cried out with frustration, scratching at whatever was not letting her move even more behind. Her nails ached at the torture.
"KANG SOL!"
Kang Sol's eyes fluttered open.
The bright lights made her eyelids flutter close. When she opened them again, a head appeared in the line of her vision.
Han Joon-Hwi.
"Are you okay?"
She could only timidly nod at that before sitting up. His hand, one that she failed to acknowledge before, slid from her shoulder to her back to support her as she wavered slightly. The sleeping bag caught her feet and barred her stretch. As her mind slowly returned to complete cognizance, her ears droned with hushed voices that synced unnervingly well. The flamboyant hospital-like lights cast a disconsolate shadow on Han Joon-Hwi, who squatted beside her, worry visible in his forehead creases.
"You were thrashing so bad in sleep. Nightmare?"
"Something of the likes. Where are the others?"
A smirk lit up his features and she felt heat trickle to the mine of her stomach.
"Well for your information, Sol, it's well past afternoon and everyone is up already."
Sol blew out a breath, glowering, whether out of their despicable situation or his teasing would be difficult to judge.
"Well for your information, it's actually very difficult to tell the time when you are in an underground safe house that you didn't even knew existed with explosions wreaking havoc above ground."
The blithe ambience was all gone. People nearby, rather refugees nearby, hushed at her considerably loud outburst while some straight up glared at her. Sol couldn't help but laugh in her head. 'Yeah, I glare at myself too,' she thought in her head.
"She's just ...annoyed; at the circumstances."
Joon-Hwi grinned like he somehow always did, trying to ease the tension.
"Aren't we all? But we are not going around screaming because of it."
"He's right. Do you think we are happy to be here when we don't even know whether half of our family is alive?"
A collective murmur rose from the crowd around as they all glared at Sol and Joon-Hwi.
Just when Sol was about to retort back, much to Joon-Hwi's dismay, the sirens blasted through the walls. For a moment it was just the overwhelming, echoing siren pulsing through the bodies as they froze in place, unsure of what was to come. When the realization sunk in, it was utter ruckus. Blurry movement bustled the large hall as everyone hurried around, still unsure of where to go. Kang Sol, still settled in her sleeping bag, could barely push out of it when one of her hands that was splayed behind her for support was stepped over. Even in the chaos, the audible crunch of a bone came prior to her scream of pain. Joon-Hwi's eyes widened at the sight and he desperately tried to get her to stand up. He could see her lips parted in pain but he couldn't tell if it was loud screaming or silent groan, the impossible chaos behind and around them drowning the words even in their heads.
He tugged at her body and supported her weight as she got on her feet. Her blurry eyes did little to help her. All she could see was movement; everywhere. It made her dizzy and the throbbing pain in her palm barely helped. She leaned on Joon-Hwi, watching his eyes cloud with confusion as he tried to follow the movements. The sirens wailed louder and louder. People crashed into them, cursed at them and pushed them out of their away but Joon-Hwi's hands remained firm around Sol's shoulders, preventing her from rolling over in pain. They both knew one thing for sure: there was no way they were going up, not again. One can be lucky only so many times but unlucky, always.
"Hyung! Noona!"
Min Bok-Gi struggled through the crowd with difficulty. A plastic swung from one of his hands that he was trying hard to cover. He reached them with exhaustion and relief but his demeanor changed in seconds when he saw Kang Sol and how she was leaning against Han Joon-Hwi with a pained expression.
"What happened?"
Joon-Hwi looked around, while most people had already scuffled their way to the Gates, some still persisted unsure like them. A quick glance at Sol told him she was not up to the scratch to speak yet.
"Someone stepped over her hand. A fracture probably. What's going on outside?'
Bok-Gi shrugged.
"I have no idea. Everyone kept running around. I mean we're safe inside so why not just sit calm-"
It all happened in a split second. One instant Bok-Gi dropped the plastic and scrambled to the ground to pick it up and the next thing they knew, a loud detonation from the Gates sent people flying back like birds in a storm. It was gruesome, watching blood splash on the white walls as horrendous shrieks echoed off the entire hall, syncing like one collective, sadistic choir that sang for death. Sol and Joon-Hwi stumbled to the ground, Bok-Gi lost in the crowd. Joon-Hwi could feel heat reaching out for him even though he was so far away from the Gates, shielding a stunned Sol. They had been through a lot, that goes without saying but the helplessness they felt right there was a new taste; a acrimonious taste.
Two days ago
"Why wouldn't I understand? I am the one being logical here."
"That's what you think. Trust me that's what only you think."
Han Joon-Hwi came to a halt amidst his march to the headquarters, Kang Sol pursuing behind. Their ID cards sparkled a bedazzling glow under the scorching July heat. Joon-Hwi's matted hair clung to his forehead and his sleeve rolled up white t-shirt adorned a loosened tie with a few top buttons undone. He was attracting too much attention, much to Sol's utter unease. If it was another scenario or another time, she might have just brushed shoulders with him more times than necessary but the heat and their discussion had her mood all sour. She crossed her arms, aware that it pushes up her chest but doing it anyway because that's just Kang Sol for you.
"Really? This is a two person conversation. You have opposing views but none of us actually have a majority."
Joon-Hwi blinked at her with what Sol thought was sheer exasperation (infuriating her further) but it was really his lame attempt at keeping his eyes hooked on her face and prevent it from wandering below. It wasn't his fault, entirely. That girl never realized how attractive she was and Joon-Hwi was definitely not liking the way men were eyeing her cotton candy colored shirt and fitting pants that highlighted certain mesmerizing parts of her. While Joon-Hwi definitely enjoyed heated debates with her, startlingly this time his difference with her was not just because of the fun of it.
"No Joon-Hwi, hear yourself out. You think if you barge into the CEO's office and tell him that an infectious animal which came in contact with the nuclear power plant has been killing multiple other animals in the woods but we just deliberately ignored it because we felt it wasn't serious enough and now it has escaped somehow to God knows where and it can be destructive because we don't know how it reacts to humans!"
"That sounds appealing to me."
"Yeah and I'm sure the Board of Directors will find it appealing to fire us as well."
"Kang Sol."
"Han Joon-Hwi."
A minute of glare down later Joon-Hwi continued ahead.
"We did wrong, Sol. We ought to be held responsible."
"If the responsibility comes with the consequences being me plummeted to the streets with no food and no roof above my head, I don't want to be responsible."
She watched his steps weaken before he completely stopped, still facing away. She knew he was right but she wasn't completely wrong either. She remembers him (talk about hypocrisy) loudly saying: 'What is wrong with wishing to protect myself?'
He turned around. Sol expected him to say something haphazard but accurate enough to brush her off. She never expected him to look her right in the eye with a smoldering gaze that made her weak in the knees. He held her glare with his dilated pupils and lips in a line. Unable to take the tension anymore, she eventually blurted out.
"What?"
Their unprovoked staring contest broke off with him looking down and then back up at her with the usual light in his eyes, walking back towards her until he was right in front of her at mere inches. In broad daylight, in the middle of a busy street with traffic enough to make you dizzy, their position was certainly scandalous but it didn't look like he cared.
"That is not ever happening and think about it. Only we know about this animal. They will need us. We just have to assure them that we can and we will find it out, wherever it is. Once we do, we can just convince them to not fire us since the responsibility lost will be the responsibility returned, both to our courtesy."
It was Sol's turn to blink at him wordlessly and Joon-Hwi couldn't understand what made him receive that so he asked.
"What?"
"Joon-Hwi, are you sure you don't have some past records or something?"
"Brilliance records?"
"Criminal records."
The glass confined elevator silently trekked through the floors to its limits, where stood the CEO's office. What would otherwise have been a brief, inconspicuously different ride was one excruciatingly long and anxious journey up. As solid Joon-Hwi's plan had sounded, Sol was still a wreck. Apart from having no idea how the reactions would be, losing her job would be the most petrifying possibility. Unlike Joon-Hwi, who had enough brains and talent to be employed without much effort (needless to talk about the money stacks that will never let him flop in the streets due to hunger), Sol was the epitome of an average working woman with a bank account on the verge of closing due to lack of credits.
"If you scrunch up your face anymore, I will have to think you really are constipated."
Joon-Hwi watched her sour expression turn into one of confusion and then the usual exasperation. As confident as he may appear, he was worried too; maybe from reasons slightly different from Sol. He was always someone who held expectations in themselves before anyone else. He failed his responsibility without even grasping the extent of it. It was eating him alive but he still had faith in his plan. The ding of the elevator served a set off to their frantically throbbing hearts as they nodded to each other before Sol lightly knocked on the large mahogany door labelled 'CEO', which was immediately returned with a 'come in'.
CEO Seo Byung-Ju was a man of few words. He observed Sol and Joon-Hwi enter like a ghost and walk up to his table. He was no psychologist nor a religious man but even he could tell that the dark shadow that fell on their faces was just an indication of a serious needle at the back of their heads.
"Mr. Han. Ms. Kang."
He nodded to the vacant chairs watching them mumble their thanks.
"I do anticipate everything is alright."
Joon-Hwi perked up, settling for a small smile.
"It almost is, Sir."
"Almost, did you say, Mr. Han?"
Kang Sol cleared her throat before jumping to Joon-Hwi's rescue.
"Um, yes sir. There has been a small problem associated with the power plant sir."
"The power plant seems to be causing more problems than it can solve. Not long after now, I'm supposed to be in a meeting with S & Y Enterprise. As you two might already be aware, they are posing serious issues with the power plant. Though I am quite curious to hear what they have to say. Anyway, let’s hear the problem that brings you two here, shall we?"
Joon-Hwi picked up a blank expression, one which is so neutral, Sol had to double check if it was her human Joon-Hwi or his secret, psychotic robot clone.
"The woods surrounding the power plant contains a number of animals, even big animals like bears. A few weeks ago, we heard that there were a lot of small animals dying in the forest. We sent someone to check around just in case hunters were unlawfully entering the grounds. It occurred to us that if it was the doing of hunters, they won't leave their hunt astray but we still wanted to make sure."
Joon-Hwi stopped with a sigh. Sol took it as her cue to continue for him.
"The reports we got back showed no likelihood of trespassing and we dismissed it entirely, thinking of it as a mere bear going wild. But not long after, during a routine check around the perimeter, two dead bears were found. Their jugular was ripped out. It would be very difficult for a bear fight to take this violent a turn. But then I– we, I mean, we—"
"We did not give it much attention. The lawsuits were keeping us all in a mess so we did not give the issue its due importance. We'll accept our punishments but we have a more pressing issue at hand."
"Since both me, Joon-Hwi and other colleagues, we were all involved in the lawsuits, we did not realize that the animal killing reports had stopped. Not until this week, when he heard that a child from the village closest to the power plant was found dead — with her throat ripped. There was much grieving in the village and they think it was the doing of a bear who had somehow ventured well into the village. But we are afraid it might be that aberrant animal that was roaming the woods."
The grave silence that spread over the room felt heavy on their shoulders. The secretary of the CEO, whom Sol barely noticed before, was looking at them with a mixed expression from his table. Seo Byung-Ju, however, was either good with his expressions or he really was as unbothered as he looked.
"Well, contact the hunting organizations and Forest Protection Department first. Prioritize catching that animal. We don't need more on our heads than we already have. Fix this mistake and then we'll have your team sit with the Board of Directors to acquaint you with the consequences of neglect in duty."
Sol and Joon-Hwi exchanged a look of relief before thanking the CEO again.
"Don't thank me yet. Remember, if you catch the animal your negative stain will only shrink."
Waiting for the elevator, Sol breathed a sigh before leaning against the wall.
"That went better than I expected."
Joon-Hwi only animated with that smug glow before retorting:
"Told you."
Present Time
"What do we do now?"
Joon-Hwi only sternly looked around in response, hands still carefully enclosing Sol's shoulders.
"We even left Bok-Gi behind. What do we do, Joon-Hwi?"
"Calm down. We'll figure something out. For now we need to find shelter and if possible some food and water."
To Joon-Hwi's surprise, Sol started snickering.
"Hey. You see these collapsed buildings, those smashed cars? Hundreds of people are buried under those stacks of rubbish. You think we'll find food and water and a shelter?"
Choosing not to respond to her biting remarks, they both trudged forward, stumbling often on the collapsed devastation, occasionally flinching at a dense, dark red liquid that has rolled down the slope of the street. When they started blasting off the Gates to the underground safe house, brutally killing off at least half the people staying there, somehow Joon-Hwi and Sol narrowly escaped. He cruelly chuckled under his breath. He was known for his perfect execution and here he was, stumbling through streets filled with dead bodies and blood; all because of one small mistake.
Two days ago
"So it's not a bear?"
"Looks like it."
"Then what is it?"
"That is the question."
The researcher looked through the pages of a book that was easily the width of ten of Sol's hands placed atop each other and continued.
"Bear is a weighty animal. There should be paw prints around but my reports tell me that absolutely none was found. Furthermore, the forest had reports of the presence of two bears in it. It was stated in... Just a second, please."
The researcher dropped the book on the messy table and Sol cringed at all the dust that flew around for it, already feeling the tickle in her nose. Rubbing it violently, her eyes followed the researcher as he shuffled with some files.
"Ah, here it is. This report was sent to me two months prior. Now, there were two bears during this report – one male and one female. I heard that both were found dead before the attacks spread to the village, right? Within this time span, it will be impossible for their possible offspring to venture so maliciously among the crowd of humans that are presently bigger than it. It would be too intimidated to attack, if not even scared to appear. So, the subject being a bear is certainly of a small possibility percentage unless there is or are more undocumented bears."
“Listen, sir, I don’t really care about what animal lives there or doesn’t. I just want to catch it quickly and save my job. I understand what you are saying but we are in a rush here. There isn't much time before this reaches the press. We had to spend money that even years of my salary couldn't equal to, just to keep their mouths shut. We need to catch whatever it is before it affects more people."
"There isn't much I can do for you, Miss Kang. I am a researcher who needs to study the subject before concluding the remarks. But I can suggest you to restrict the surrounding zones, hire patrol teams and I can give you some subduing shots for wild animals that you can use if you come across the animal."
Kang Sol meekly nodded with a defeated sigh. How can two desk-workers turn into full on animal hunters? She couldn't help but wonder if Joon-Hwi was successful in his attempt.
-
His phone buzzed in his pocket as he waited for the traffic light across the pavement to allow him to cross the road. Predictably, it was a call from Ko Yeong-Chan's press.
"At this point anyone would think that we are having an affair."
He heard a snort from the other side before Ko's annoying voice buzzed in his ears.
"My reporters are looking for headlines, Han. It makes me extremely miserable to not be able to give them a hot take even though I have it enclosed in the palm of my hand."
"Well, I'm sure the investigation bureaus are yearning for a new tax fraud case just as much. It makes me extremely excited to know that I can give it to them anytime I want."
A moment of silence was exchanged when Joon-Hwi crossed the road before continuing down. Ko Yeong-Chan's voice reached him again soon.
"You wouldn't do that. Especially because even if you do that, it won't magically free you from being kicked out of the company along with your precious, annoying Kang Sol."
"Why don't we keep her out of our conversation and discuss business?"
"I don't have much desire to abide by your wish but I happen to be in a rush so I'll get to the point. Let my channel have the exclusive take. Update us your progress. Let us air the news."
"You can only air the news after the conclusion, which is, after we catch the animal. As for the exclusive take, I don't really care because it's not like we let anyone know. How did you even get to know about this?"
"Sources, Joon-Hwi. Our channel needs some exclusives as soon as possible. I cannot guarantee you that I will be patient till the end. I will await news from you."
With that he hung up. As much as Joon-Hwi wanted to let loose a string of curses, he maintained his cool composure. The search was turning out to be much difficult than their initial expectations. It was a very vague search, without any idea of even what animal they were searching. There was no one to blame but them. So that's what he and Sol did; they kept their heads down and worked.
As he neared the office, his phone rang again. Swearing that if it was Ko Yeong-Chan again he would punch a hole into his face, Joon-Hwi answered.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Han? This is the Wild Animal Search party. We have some irregular movements in the woods behind the power plant."
"I'll be there."
-
"Hey, Joon-Hwi. What if we are going there to be disappointed again?"
"Stop being pessimistic, Sol. Watch your step."
"Yeah yeah. I'm just so tired."
Joon-Hwi breathed a laugh at the wide mouthed yawn that Sol roared soon. Every time her shoulder bumped into his, as they walked and stumbled through the woods, the hammering of his heart in his chest only increased. He couldn't help but wonder that how much longer he could prevent the urge to scream his feelings to her and just take her in his arms and never let go. He wants to do all that but somehow cannot muster the courage to confess. What a tragedy!
"Are you even listening?"
"Huh, what?"
"How far?"
He stopped to look around once before nodding.
"A little more."
The WASP was a huge team and if Sol was not already acquainted with them, she would surely have been intimidated at all the huge machineries and bulky men and women. A few yards from where they stood was a dilapidated remains of a warehouse, considerably small in size, surrounded by creepers and small trees before the forest channeled further and darker. But still, it took some time before Sol realized exactly why they were all crowded around this abandoned wreck because Joon-Hwi was brooding silently the entire time she started to question out information from him.
As the finer details kicked in, Sol couldn't help the goosebumps that dotted her skin. From her distance, initially it looked like just pieces of trash lying around but when she squinted her eyes, her steps faltered as dead eyes stared back at her. It was a hare; bloodied and grisly. At some distance apart, another lay dead. As her eyes adjusted, she could follow the trails of blood that were not very normal. Blood splattered into leaves and occasionally trailed through the filthy ground. A few more small animals were scattered around, until what looked like the remains of a deer was lying just by the door of the warehouse. The trails and everything led exactly to there. A wind blew out of nowhere and the cracked open door, creaked and widened the entry.
The people around her looked at the warehouse in anticipation, heavy breaths could be heard from a mile. She could feel a body shuffling closer to her but before her body could turn back in high alert, a familiar cologne hit her nostrils. He was standing very close to her – her back to his chest – warmth intermingling through their bodies. Her body relaxed, unintentionally leaning into his. She could feel him leaning down to her ear. His warm breath in her ears was making her forget that they were standing in a forest, surrounded by people with guns and a possibly man-eating animal.
"Are you okay?"
Her heart was beating incredibly fast and the tickling of his breath in her ears was not helping. She could only nod and humph a reply.
"Mm hm."
"I am right here. You don't have to be tensed."
Her heart felt like it would burst but she still could reply.
"I know and so am I, you don't have to be anxious."
She could feel him nod against her head, his bowl cut brushing against her temples before he moved back again but not completely. Suddenly Sol could breathe better. Her focus shifted back to the scene. A very tall woman from the front called out in a loud voice.
"We'll now progress. Song Mi-Na! Throw the meat."
"Yes, leader!"
Another girl, probably Sol's age, tiptoed towards the warehouse with a huge package in hand. Instead of a straight approach, she sneaked through the sides until she was as near to the warehouse as a safe distance would be. Quietly unwrapping the package, she brought out a huge chunk of meat. Drawing her hands back, she readied herself for a throw. Sol watched with anticipation, blinking was a forgotten phenomenon as every second was a precious detail. The hushed silence through the forest was almost like the entire world was holding its breath to watch. The crickets had stopped chirping and the birds had long stopped singing. The eerie quiet brought out another fit of goosebumps to Sol.
The girl exchanged a nod with the leader before her practiced hands smoothly gave a head start to the chunk of meat that flew through the open door landing somewhere inside with an audible squelch. For a breath holding moment, it felt like the world stood still. The girl tiptoed back, her stance much hastened than before. It was immensely quiet. Seconds felt like hours. Sol was on the verge of declaring that it was just an empty warehouse that the animal probably stayed in once but was far away from now.
The atmosphere could remain so tensely suffocating for so long and everyone was about to exhale loudly when a roar echoed through the warehouse and the forest. They say a tiger's roar can get the strongest to cower away when heard from close distance. But the roar they heard was nothing even close to what they show in documentaries. Louder than anything that they have ever heard, Sol felt like her ears were about to split and blood would start pouring out of them if it was anymore louder and judging by the terrified sounds of those around her. The terrifying roar was unearthly and she could feel her heart dropping and legs weakening. Her head was spinning and she was hyper-aware of everything around her, including the fact that the seasoned and trained professionals were flinching back at the warning roars.
In an instant she could feel a tug on her sleeve before a surprisingly warm hand encased hers and pulled her back at some distance, the ground there elevated like a small hill. Suddenly, as if a bulb had clicked on in everyone's heads, the leader started shouting commands and the team kicking in to full gear.
"Get the detonators!"
"Yes, leader!"
"Song, Shin, Hong and Kim to the front. The rest load the guns and stand behind."
"Yes!"
"PREPARE THE BOXES! WE HAVE TO CARRY OUT THE BLAST. MOVE BACK!"
Sol looked at Joon-Hwi with a terrified expression.
"What's going on? Blast? What blast? Aren't they supposed to give it a sleeping shot or whatever?"
She couldn't comprehend if she should cry or scream at him as her tremendously breaking nerves were undermined by his knowing look. He was as unbothered about it as if it was all his own doing. She watched his face slowly break into a small smile, his eyes twinkling with a glow. He winked at her.
At that, Joon-Hwi watched Sol's nervous face suddenly gleam. Her furrowed eyebrows eased and the crease of her forehead became smooth. A small smile peeked before the glow in her eyes returned. The hand that gripped his suit jacket with a tough grip was now easing the creases on it. He couldn't help the retort.
"That's some incredible acting, Kang Sol. Keep it up and we'll be out of here in a blink."
"And that's some incredible planning, Han Joon-Hwi. Keep it up and we'll definitely be out of here in a blink."
They shared a small laugh and looked down at the geared up hunters circling the warehouse with grenades in hand as the others prepared their guns, just to be safe.
Joon-Hwi's phone rang, the sound pretty muffled by the chaos going down there. Sol tried to listen in but her past multiple failures at that prompted Joon-Hwi to put the call on speaker.
"Hello? Mr. Han?"
"Yes, Mr. Kim. The plan was very successful. Thanks to you. We should sit down for dinner some-"
"We have a problem, sir."
Sol and Joon-Hwi exchanged a look.
"A problem? What happened?"
"The WASP did not need all of the machineries..."
"...and?"
"The rest was kept in the basement of our warehouse, sir."
"Get to the point, Mr. Kim."
They could hear a muffled cry in the background before the reply came.
"THE MACHINERIES WERE STOLEN! THE WAREHOUSE IS EMPTY!"
Screams sounded from all around just as Joon-Hwi's phone dropped from his hand. Sol had already toppled to her knees but she didn't miss the movement below. A huge shadow broke through the open window of the warehouse, pouncing on Song Mi-Na, tearing off the flesh of her neck and sprinting into the forest, all in a few seconds of time even before anyone could process what it was, let alone raise a gun or throw a grenade. It was gone just as soon as it came. Joon-Hwi's phone that had fallen onto the ground beside Sol still had Mr. Kim's voice coming.
"WHAT DO WE DO, SIR? WHAT DO WE DO?"
Sol did not have it in her to look at him. But the question echoed.
What do we do?