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"I sometimes cough up Belladonna petals, you know."
Soleum looked over at Agent Choi, unimpressed.
The older man took a drag of the cigarette in his mouth as he gazed off into the distant wall— the one that his nose was brushing right up against.
The room was a bit small.
Soleum shifted slightly. His legs were getting numb.
"Don't move, Grapes, you must endure in order for the evil within to be purged."
Agent Choi held him down by the shoulder.
His touch felt scalding.
Damn it.
Soleum cursed silently as his gaze flickered to the clock on the wall. The only way to not break his persona while also getting out of this situation would be to wait for Jaekwan to come back and give Agent Choi a proper beating.
"You look sick, Agent."
Soleum looked down worriedly at Agent Choi, who was busy shaping a jakdu with his Gamja-salad.
"It's just a side effect of sealing the dragon in my arm, Grapes," at this, Agent Choi waved his bandaged arm around, "I'll be fine in a candle's worth of time."
"…Agent Bronze is going to be mad if you ended up causing the team's budget for the month to go into deficit again."
Agent Choi hummed, "Don't worry, this is but a ploy of the dark forces, soon, I wil-"
Cough—
Agent Choi's words were interrupted as he doubled over in coughs.
"Agent!"
Soleum's eyes widened as he took in the scene before him, the hunched form of Agent Choi as he heaved over the lunch tray, the speckles of blood that now decorated the table...
And most importantly—
The single Belladonna petal that had landed on the tip of the salad-jakdu
"How is he?"
Soleum looked up at Jaekwan, whose head was covered in heavy sweat, who'd clearly ran over as fast as he could, as soon as he'd heard to news.
Soleum's lips parted.
Then closed.
Finally, he looked away.
"I'm sorry."
Sorry that the spy was the last one to talk to Agent Choi before he died. Sorry that the last conversation they had was an argument. Sorry that-
A sob wretched its way out of Soleum's throat.
— That he had never reciprocated those feelings.
And will never be able to in the future either.