A/N: VERY long chapter because things are coming together now. Lot of stuff and feelings to add, lol.
I may or may not add one final chapter. Lmk if you think I should or not :3
You woke up gasping for breath and scrambling in your blanket. It wrapped around you as you kicked out desperately, trying to fight for your life but landing no solid hits. Only after a few moments and your phone beeping to alert you to a message did you realize where you were. And when you were. You were back in your old bed. Time had reset on you again. Your hands clenched so hard in your blankets that they hurt, but the pain wasn't enough to ground you. You began to hyperventilate, curling in on yourself as desperate and panicked sobs shook your frame.
You had been murdered. And this time you hadn't been blessed enough (or drugged up enough) to forget the last timeline. You recalled everything. How you had fought with Unknown. How he had brutally attacked and overwhelmed you. How you had cried out for help and tried to grab your phone when you could. How it hadn't been enough. How you had died.
You screamed into your pillow as your hands checked your entire body. You trembled with pain, but all of it was from your memories and adrenaline. You were safe now, but in your frantic mind you were still in danger. You had no choice but to ride out the horror, the memory of it playing again over and over.
You wanted help, but you didn't know what to do. You could call up Seven, you realized through your foggy mind, and you knew he would pick up. You had no idea what you would say to him, though. He wouldn't remember everything from the last timeline. He probably wouldn't even remember that he had been coming to Rika's apartment.
Oh God. Luciel had been going to Rika's apartment to protect you when Unknown had attacked. But you had been killed before he got there. Did . . . did Luciel find you? Did he come to the apartment only to find your body? You felt like you would vomit. Your stomach was churning so much that you weren't sure you would be able to keep down the bile threatening your throat at the very thought. You didn't know if time reset immediately after you dying. You could only hope that it did.
Unknown had messaged you by the time you had finally calmed down, but seeing his name spiked your anxiety again. You knew you wouldn't be able to get over this feeling very easily, but you needed to move on. You had to follow the game, or you would definitely run into him again. So you hurried through the motions and went back to Rika's apartment. When you were inside and on the chat with everyone, you ignored it briefly to stare at the spot where you had died. The apartment was clean but dusty, basically impeccable. No one would know that you died there. You hoped nobody would know. You wished that you didn't know.
It was easy for you to go through the motions of the first day. You had played this game enough that you knew exactly what you needed to say so that you could become close to the others but not have to worry them. None of them would suspect anything. In the meantime you had an entire day to come back to equilibrium. You had a couple more breakdowns in which you had to sit in the corner and take deep breaths. Your fingers itched to call Luciel, but you didn't want to tell him what had happened to you. You had to suffer alone.
You would pace the apartment, obsessively checking the doors and windows again and again. You almost put something up to block the windows, but you couldn't allow anyone to suspect anything. You would comfort yourself with the familiar chatrooms and by staring at where you knew the CCTV camera was for your house. You didn't think Luciel was watching (he had no need to yet. That wouldn't come until day five, if you played your cards right), but knowing he was on the other side helped you.
You went out on walks a lot more during the first four days knowing that you would be locked in your apartment in the coming days. You took the time to spend time with the friends you'd had before the RFA, but you made sure not to miss a single conversation. You had a life that came before all of this, and you knew the normalcy would help to balance you. You couldn't let yourself be overwhelmed. Idle thoughts would be your downfall. It was hard enough sleeping at night in Rika's apartment. As soon as you could, you wanted to leave the place.
You wondered to yourself, as the days began to tick by, if you should feel any kind of resentment towards Luciel. He had said he would protect you, but he hadn't been in time to save you. You didn't understand why. Maybe he wasn't supposed to? Or was it because he had pulled away from you? If you tried again, would the results be the same? Luciel had said that his life was dangerous and you shouldn't get close to him. But if you warned him ahead of time . . . would that make him come faster this time?
The decision you came to over the next couple of days was that you couldn't blame him. Neither of you had known about Unknown breaking in nor that he would attack you. You would do better this time around. You would be more careful. You wouldn't provoke Unknown, but you wouldn't let yourself be taken either. You didn't know if Luciel was supposed to rescue you, but you would hold out as long as you could.
Because you knew that would be the same path you took this time. You weren't going to deny yourself what happiness you could get, and you wanted Luciel. You loved the entire RFA, but you knew there was something else about Luciel. Something you were inexplicably drawn to. And instinctively you knew that if you tried to get closer to Luciel, you would find more of the truth. The truth to what, you didn't know for sure, but you suspected it was the RFA and the hacker. The hacker was related to Luciel somehow. You needed to find as much information as you could. Maybe if this was all a game, if you could solve the puzzle pieces you would finally be able to end the game.
You weren't sure how religious you really were after all of these events, but you found yourself praying nonetheless.
Luciel didn't seem to suspect anything was strange with you until the fifth day when he called you up. It had to be a brief phone call because of the fact that Ms. Vanderwood was on his case about working, but you appreciated him calling anyway.
"Ohh! Actually I had a quick question to ask you while I can. Vanderwood finally left the room long enough." He said quickly, his voice a bit hushed so nobody could overhear him. "You keep staring at the CCTV. Why is that?"
You weren't sure how to respond at first, and then you decided to just tell him the truth. "It comforts me." You admitted.
"Knowing that you're being watched? Hahaha, you're creeping Ms. Vanderwood out~ She complains about the staring!" He sounded giddy about it. It made you smile as you continued to watch the CCTV. You wondered if Luciel was looking back at you. You wanted to see him in real life. You wanted to take in how he looked in a way you had never done before. You wanted to see his strange and beautiful eyes.
"The comfort comes from knowing you're watching me every 2.35 seconds."
He gave an embarrassed laugh in response, caught off-guard. It made you grin. "Don't think I can't see you smiling! Ohh, I feel like I've been tricked! I'll have my revenge-AH!" He yelped. "Oh no! GAH! She's coming back! I-I gotta go. I'll talk to you soon! Bye!"
As the day of the bomb being hacked got closer, you became more anxious. On the chatroom you appeared calm and collected, if a bit worried, but in real life you were all but a mess. You didn't want to face Unknown again. You could feel the phantom pain still as you recalled how you died. Your nightmares became bad enough that you didn't really sleep, which was fine because the others appeared at odd hours to begin with. You didn't let them know you weren't sleeping well. You knew that Luciel knew, though.
He didn't pull away from you like you had done last time. His words were more affectionate, but his confusion was even stronger. He had even created robots while thinking about you. Zen hinted to you that because Seven had never been in a relationship before, he didn't know how to react to having feelings. You banked on that and clung to the fact that he wasn't pulling away. You didn't know what had caused it, though. What had you done different in this timeline that you didn't do in the last? You didn't know. You hated not knowing. If time reset again, you wanted to know what to do in order to achieve the right ending.
When Seven told you that he was coming again to your apartment, you were more prepared. You set out a baseball bat nearby the window you knew Unknown would break through. You wouldn't use it unless it came to a fight, but it would come in handy. In the meantime you called Seven. You wanted to make sure you knew he was coming, even though he yelled at you not to call. You were worried about him even as you prepared yourself. He scolded you for worrying about him when you were the one most in danger. It only made you smile. Maybe you had grown too accustomed to being in danger. You wouldn't let him know you thought that.
Just like last time, Unknown broke in through the window and tried to take you to paradise. You were smart enough not to provoke him, but as Unknown got closer you had to call for help. Unknown didn't become furious right away, probably because you weren't desperately calling Seven's name, but this time you didn't need to. You heard the door open and a familiar voice talking to himself, which made you scream out for his help louder. Your heart cried out as Luciel rushed into the room. He tried to keep the situation calm by joking and talking to the hacker even as Unknown grabbed you and pulled out a switch. You knew without him saying that it was the switch to the bomb.
You watched as Luciel was blindsided with the identity of Unknown. Once again he was called Saeran, but you still didn't know who he was. But the look of horror and shock and guilt on Seven's face made your stomach drop for him. You could tell his world had been turned upside down. Unknown's bitter voice was in your ear as he yelled at Luciel, but Seven still looked like he was trying to comprehend what he was seeing. He begged for Saeran to let you go, but that only exposed Seven's budding emotions to him and his threat became more real.
You struggled until suddenly the alarm system went off. Your blood went cold at the sound and when Seven commanded you, you bit down on Saeran's arm. The man cried out and you fled to Seven, who grabbed you and told Saeran to run. Saeran listened and fled, but neither of you ran after him. You clung to Luciel's coat, shaking. Only when things calmed down did you finally ask Seven who Unknown was.
"That man . . ." Seven said quietly, "is my twin brother."
The knowledge knocked the breath out of you, only stirring up more questions. You knew that Seven had mentioned a brother in past timelines, but it had been brief and he had avoided talking about it. What had happened between the two of them that caused Saeran to hate Luciel that much? You hadn't understood anything the two had talked about while you had been captured. You could only remember how Saeran had killed you and how Luciel would sacrifice himself to his brother's hatred to save you.
You had been killed by Luciel's twin brother.
Seven put himself into his work to fix the algorithm to the special security, and you left him to it while you retreated to your bedroom. You wouldn't let Seven see you break down. He had enough on his mind without him having to worry about you even more. But even so Seven had knocked on the door and asked you to stay where he could see you for the time being. You didn't want to make things worse, so you sucked it up and went back out into the living room. You retreated in on yourself and buried your face into your legs.
The rapid typing and the soft murmuring on Seven's voice was the only comfort you had, so you focused on it. You couldn't let yourself get lost. You needed to be strong. You could be strong. You had to be. You had promised yourself you would be. But it was hard. It was all almost too much. You felt like you would break under the strain. You had to keep yourself busy and distracted. That was the best method you knew.
Luciel had made you promise not to mention Saeran by name to anyone in the RFA, and so you didn't. Their words comforted you during the horrible time you were having. Their phone calls and reassurances were a balm your weary soul. Even though it hurt, you basked in the memories of your times with them. You let yourself remember and be happy. It was what you could do while Seven was busy.
Jumin had apparently taken it upon himself to get Yoosung to mature. He had called his mother of all things, which just made you grin deviously every time you saw or heard Yoosung's pain. It was so funny how Jumin had come to that conclusion, and it was just like him to do something like that. You wished you could say you were more sympathetic towards Yoosung, but you honestly agreed with Jumin. Yoosung had always been influenced by his family and you recalled that his mother was a force to be reckoned with. She had scared you in the past, but the two of you had been fairly close. You missed her. At least calling her seemed to have honestly helped Yoosung despite his hardships.
Although Seven was busy, you continued to try to talk to him and bother him. He fascinated you. You called him and wanted to touch his hair and take off his glasses. You smiled as you teased him and he couldn't resist playing back at you before he would remember his work and snap back to attention, scolding you for bothering him. It became a game to you, and it made you happy even when he told you off. You could see him once again trying to pull away from you, pushing your back so you wouldn't get close to him. You knew him enough to understand now what he was doing. He was protecting you by keeping you at a distance, just as you had done to him in the last timeline. You wouldn't be dissuaded, though.
You found Seven's floppy disk by accident, hidden inside a children's book. Curiosity had pushed you to want to see what was on it, but Seven had snapped at you and had taken the book back. He continued to push you away, telling you to just ignore him and be angry with him. You couldn't do that, though. You wanted to be close to him, but he didn't want your affection. His words bit into your heart, but you didn't let him bring you down. You could be stubborn just like him, and you would be gently stubborn to him as long as it took.
He didn't want you looking after him, but you wouldn't let his harsh words keep you from checking up on him and reminding him to eat and sleep.
"How can you tell me to eat and sleep when you won't?" Luciel suddenly snapped at you one evening. "Jeez, I bought sushi for you again and everything, but you barely ate any of it! I thought you liked sushi?"
"I do, but I won't eat unless you join me." You were adamant about that. He was barely eating. Even the few snacks he brought with him and were scattered around him didn't do much. His mental state had to be a mess with the fact that he had abandoned his job, had to deal with Mint Eye, and now having learned that his brother was the hacker. You wanted to be of some help to him. The stress couldn't be good. He was going to break, and that was why you didn't take his mean words to heart. People said nasty things when they were worried and stressed.
"God!" You saw the moment that he caved, finally standing up from where he had been sitting in the corner for hours to go to you, "I already told you-" He froze and you frowned in confusion. However he was no longer looking at you but instead at a spot on the floor. His eyes were wide with a familiar look to them, and you took a step closer to touch his should when his gaze suddenly snapped to you. All of the blood had drained from his face and a suddenly shaking hand came to his mouth.
"Luciel?" You asked quietly.
"Oh my God." Luciel sounded like the words had been punched out of him. You name slipped desperately from his mouth as you were pulled to him. His hug was too strong, pushing the air out of your lungs as he clung to you. You could hear his breathing was too fast.
"Seven, what is it? Tell me! Are you okay?"
"Me? Me?! I don't care about me!" He cried, and you heard the tears in his voice. "Shit! Oh God, I was too late! I was too late and-!" He cut himself off with a sob, fingers clenching the back of your shirt. You understood then what he had remembered, and you cursed God for betraying Seven like that as he wept for you. Sympathetic tears appeared in your own eyes as Seven's knees buckled and you had to lower the two of you to the floor. He apologized again and again, but you didn't say anything in response. The pain of dying and the weight of everything began to overwhelm you again, and you cried too. You tried to reassure him through your own tears even as he begged for your forgiveness.
"I don't blame you." You said again and again. "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault!"
He didn't listen to you, but eventually he did start to calm down. You continued to just hold him through it, knowing that was what he needed. Reassurance that you were there, just as you had needed reassurance that you were alive. You pressed your face to his shoulder and let his jacket soak up your own tears. You were sure the two of you looked absolutely terrible, which would've made you laugh if it had been another time.
Once he was a little more stable, you pushed him back just enough so you could cup his face. His glasses were smeared with tears and his face was red and blotchy from crying. You only pushed his glasses up and away from his face and stared at him until his breathing had calmed down a bit more. And then you smiled gently, blinking the last of your tears from your eyes.
"I don't blame you." You told him once again. "It was a different timeline. And you saved me this time. Everything is okay."
"But I didn't make it in time. I had promised you I would protect you, and I failed." Seven said, his voice rough and weak.
"Then from now on, make sure you do." You laughed sadly. "I've learned at least one thing from all of these resets and it's that you can't let the past drag you down. You have to keep pressing forward, or we'll never move forward at all. You made up for the last timeline."
"Shit, it was the last timeline?" He asked, horrified. "That's why you kept checking the windows and the doors even before I told you to do so. And why you weren't sleeping much. I can't believe I missed that . . . ! Are you okay?"
"Not really." You confessed. "But I will be because you're here. You saved me, Luciel."
Luciel swallowed, his golden eyes scanning your face free from his glasses that usually blocked them, before he dropped his forehead to tap against yours. His eyes glanced to where you had died before he squeezed them shut. You dropped your hands to grab his and gripped them tightly.
"I'm a dangerous man." He whispered.
"I'm okay with that." You whispered back.
"You shouldn't be." He snapped.
"I have to be." You shrugged helplessly. "My life has been one danger after another since I joined the RFA for the very first time. I don't want to be in danger, but if it means we solve the mysteries and we all become happy without time resetting again . . . I'm willing to be in danger." You squeezed his hands again. "As long as you're by my side when things get really dangerous."
"I will be." He promised. "I messed up last time, but I won't this time. You chose me again. I'll protect you this time, I swear to God."
You smiled and resisted the almost-overwhelming urge to kiss him. His lips were right there and he was so close. You could feel and smell his every breath. Your body ached from holding yourself back. You knew this would be a good time to kiss him, but you knew he wasn't ready yet. There was too much happening. You didn't want to distract him. You could try to kiss him later. You would have other chances. You would choose him again and again. So instead you let out a shaky breath and pulled away.
"Good." You said. "Then let's go eat."
Seven kept trying to contact V. You knew it had to do with Saeran because you overheard a couple of his messages that he left the man. You liked V and knew him more than anybody else in the world thought you did. You had spent plenty of time with him while you had been married to Jumin, and even more time than you had expected to while married to Yoosung. V didn't return his calls, but one day he appeared on the chatroom with you and Seven. From there things went downward, and you watched V shatter the trust of all of the RFA members. You couldn't do anything but try to help Seven hold it together even as he confessed to wanting to just shut down.
He began to distance himself as well from the RFA. He told everyone the truth about Saeran being his brother. He told you that after everything you should quit. You didn't understand why he was deciding your path for you. It wasn't his choice. You tried to argue that it wasn't fair of him to ignore your feelings just because he wanted to, but he had only shouted at you. He emphasized the fact that you were in constant danger no matter how okay you were with it. You knew he was just worried for you, but he rejected you over and over again and left to sit in the hallway.
Did you do something wrong? Was the timeline going to end badly again? You were scared and hurt and angry, but mostly you were sad. You hated that V had made Seven feel this way and that he had betrayed the RFA. Jumin refused to even talk about the situation, and nobody knew how to react. It became worse when Seven fought with Yoosung, also pushing the RFA away. He broke Meowy in a fit of his own anger. He talked about leaving and disappearing. You didn't know if he meant by choice or because the agency would . . .
No. You wouldn't let this take you down. Not after everything. Seven needed your help. He was lashing out, but you would take the hits if it meant you could show you wouldn't leave. You wouldn't let him shove you aside. You wouldn't let him shove his happiness away. You didn't know his story fully, but you knew he preferred to run instead of confronting his emotions. You wouldn't let him do it alone, even if it hurt you.
And eventually your stubborn streak began to work. When his stress had calmed back down enough that he wasn't freaking out, Seven began to fix Meowy. You sat down with him and talked to him as he worked.
"You really can't be discouraged, can you?" He asked wryly. He was exhausted, you could see. You were sure those bags under his eyes would become a permanent thing. "Since we're talking about it . . . you didn't say those things to the others before, did you? In past timelines?" He glanced at you curiously.
"Sometimes I did. Never exactly like I've told you, though." You confessed, watching him back. "I just like being honest because I like you, Seven."
His face flushed a bit at your sudden confession and he stuttered. "So, be-be careful saying things like that." He scolded. He swallowed. "Actually . . . No! Don't say that ever again . . . especially to the other guys. And Jaehee. Well, I mean . . . I guess I shouldn't say that . . . who knows what'll happen when time resets again . . . but . . ."
"Seven." You touched his arm to bring his attention back to you, and your eyes softened at his defeated face. He looks like he had already given up before you two had ever really started. You didn't want him to think like that. "I won't say it to the others. Or anyone else. I'll only say it to you." You leaned against his arm and closed your eyes, your own exhaustion washing over you. "I don't want anybody else. If time resets, I'll choose you again. And again." You smiled a bit. "You're stuck with me now."
You didn't look at his face and instead watched his hands, where they fiddled nervously with the pieces of Meowy. His breath stuttered out of him. "Al . . . Alright." He finally said weakly. "Ugh . . . I feel hot. Let's talk about something else."
You let him move the conversation elsewhere, and you ended up talking about Saeran. He showed you the floppy disk you had found, and how there were pictures of Saeran on it from when he was younger. He looked just like Seven, and it surprised you. You had grown used to how the hacker looked, so seeing this child was a shock to your system. Seven told you his story of how he grew up in a bad household with an abusive mother and a father that didn't live with them but threatened to kidnap and kill them. You couldn't believe how horrible it was and how a person like Seven had grown up in such a place. He had met Rika and V way back then and got his new name Luciel from the church they went to. You learned that he studied programming because of them.
You finally knew why Seven was so shattered by V's betrayal and the meeting with Saeran. Because V and Rika had promised to take care of Saeran while Seven joined the agency. So why was Saeran working with Mint Eye, and did that mean V was part of it? It was too horrifying to think about.
Talking about Saeran opened Seven up to you, more. And finally he gave into your feelings. You knew that one day the agency would come after him. You knew it would only be more dangerous from there. The deeper you went into this mystery, the more likely it was that one or both of you would die or be hurt again. But you didn't care. You would be there for Seven. As long as he was by your side, you were willing to do anything. And you hoped that he would never forget that.
It seemed to settle some kind of resolve in Seven. He seemed stronger and steadier to you as you both joined the chatroom again and he apologized to Yoosung. He wasn't 100% okay, but he was better. You two would sit together on the couch as he continued to search for Mint Eye's base and while he talked on the chatroom. You two talked more in general, and the relief in your heart was great. Things were still bad, but the RFA was more united again with Seven back together.
"You . . ." Seven began one night during dinner when you forced him to sit down and eat with you. You paused with your sandwich partway to your mouth, noticing a change in him. He was quiet for a long period, not continuing, before he met your gaze. His voice was soft as he said your name, his words careful when he asked, "You've . . . been to Mint Eye, haven't you?"
You didn't move. Your mind seized at the memories that bloomed in your mind at his question. You didn't let any of it show on your face, although by the worried look that appeared in his eyes you could tell you weren't completely successful. You had to remember that Seven really was an expert at reading body language. "Yes." You finally told him. Then you added wryly, "And so have you."
He opened his mouth to ask you another question, and then closed it seeming to think better of it. He changed his mind and instead asked, "Do you remember where it is at all? Or anything there? . . . Can you tell me anything about it?" He was giving you an opening to lie and tell him no. He was willing to let you do so. But you wanted to help him. And you trusted him.
"I don't . . . remember most of it. My memories are very foggy of my times at Mint Eye." His hand abruptly clenched into a fist, and you realized that you had let slip that you had been at Mint Eye more than once. "I was usually . . . unconscious or drugged up. Or I've forgotten most of it. I only remember vague things . . . like chanting. And a woman's voice that was so nice to me . . . and being chained in a cell and I . . ." You looked down, guilty. "I knew about Saeran. Or at least . . . I knew his name and that he was somehow related to you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."
"You knew?" He asked, shocked.
"I didn't know he was your brother. I just knew that you knew each other and that . . . he hated you."
"Why didn't you tell me?" You could tell he was restraining his hurt. You wanted to reach for his hand and hold it, but you didn't.
"Because," You told him, voice breaking some, "I didn't want to risk you remembering that timeline."
Seven's expression softened then in understanding. He looked down at his food, picking at the bread of his sandwich. "That bad?"
"I don't remember most of it, but I remember enough that I don't want you to remember. Because I . . . don't think you had the blessing of being drugged up for . . . whatever they did to you."
Seven didn't respond to that. Neither of you could bring yourselves to finish eating afterwards.
Despite V telling you both not to, you and Seven turned off the security and looked through the drawers. To your horror, you discovered information about Mint Eye and that Rika was connected to it. You both came to the quick conclusion, despite desperately wishing you were wrong, that Rika and V were part of Mint Eye. Possibly having been leaders. The others couldn't deny the proof, even though Yoosung refused to believe Rika willingly chose to be part of Mint Eye. You knew that no convincing could change his mind. He loved Rika, and you knew that would never change.
There was enough information in the drawers that Luciel tracked down the place and knew that he had to go there to get information and, if he could, find Saeran. You both knew you would be going with him. You wouldn't let him take the journey alone. You both regretted that it was so close to the party date, but Seven was certain you both could make it back in time. You were just glad he agreed to take you with him, even if you hated the thought of going back to Mint Eye's base. You didn't know what you would find. You hoped none of it triggered anything in Seven's memories.
If there was an upside to everything that was happening, it was that Seven seemed to have returned more or less to normal. He joked around and played with you and accepted your touches. You could hug him if you wanted, and you giggled when he would suddenly grab your around the waist and drop you two onto the couch. You both needed the break even though it cut into your packing for the trip. His smile was a delight to see, the honest happiness on his face something you had forgotten the sight of. You didn't resist your impulse this time and kissed him properly, wishing to taste the smile on his lips. He hadn't tasted like Honey Buddha Chips like you had expected, but the Ph.D Pepper was definitely there. It left you craving more, although he pulled back before you could escalate things. One thing the timelines didn't do to you was make you less bold.
That night Seven also actually slept before you two were to leave. You shared the bed with him and soaked up the feeling of sleeping in his arms. You had sweet dreams that night, a nice break from the horrors of your life at the moment. Your dreams were a mixture of memories from your past loves and warm times that had been with them. The few you had with Seven also was interspersed, interrupting the smooth flow of memories with straight up imagination. You hoped to make good memories with him soon.
You two made it into the base and inside without any major problems. You had followed all of Seven's instructions outside of Mint Eye, and together you had done your first infiltration mission. It was a bit exciting seeing what kind of things he had done as an agent, even if you didn't like his job at all. You knew he hated doing it.
Inside you two found Saeran, but the confrontation hadn't ended well. You could tell that something was wrong with him immediately. You knew from Seven's few stories of his brother that he had told you that Saeran wasn't a bad person. And you knew that Mint Eye used substances on the people inside of it. Saeran couldn't have been in his right mind. You wondered if he was brainwashed too, and if that was actually a thing. You and Seven both desperately tried to show him the truth, even backing up your evidence with the pictures of him on the floppy disk. It had been too much for Saeran to handle, his words becoming more insane by the moment. However instead of attacking, he fled and slammed the door to the computer room, locking both you and Seven inside.
Seven insisted that Jumin didn't need to send anyone to save them yet and that he would get you both out. He had all of the information he needed about Mint Eye on his computer, and he could forward it to whoever he needed to. Finding Saeran became the priority, especially seeing that he wasn't okay. You couldn't do much but encourage Seven and keep him calm while he tried to hack into the system to open the door.
"Are you okay?" He asked at one point while his computer loaded something. You looked up from messaging Zen on your phone at his question. He quickly looked at you to check you were paying attention before turning back to his computer.
"What do you mean?"
". . . Are you okay with helping me find Saeran? I mean . . . You two . . ."
You understood what he was trying to say. Saeran had murdered you. He had kidnapped you more than once. He had tortured and possibly killed you more than once as well. That part . . . you were purposely avoiding thinking about. You were rather terrified of Saeran, and you were still shaken from being in close quarters with him, but you wouldn't allow your trauma to hold you back. He was Seven's brother, and you clung to the belief that Saeran wasn't that type of person. You forced yourself to not consider things that happened in past timelines as sins against Saeran. Because Saeran was someone Seven loved dearly, and you could deal with your trauma after everything was done. You could be strong.
You smiled at Seven. "I'm okay with helping you find Saeran." You told him honestly. You didn't tell him the rest. It would be counterproductive at this point. You were in this until the end.
Seven paused briefly in what he was doing and reached for you. You scooted closer to him, and he gently pulled your head closer until he kissed you softly. "Thank you." He whispered gratefully. "But once we get out of here, don't lie to me."
"Get us out of here first, God Seven." You teased before you pulled back from him so he could focus on his work.
It took a long time, but finally Seven did get the door open. You two rushed out as fast as you could hoping to track down Saeran and discovered tire tracks near Seven's car. Saeran must have escaped. You were just about to get in the car and go after him when V appeared. You had never seen Seven quite so silently angry as you had then. V looked exhausted and sad, but you couldn't trust him. You and Seven no longer trusted this man, but he swore that he saw someone take Saeran. It could only be Vanderwood, who must have been sent to capture Seven. Only V's earnestness is what convinced Seven to believe him. It was your only lead on where Saeran had gone.
There was absolutely no way that the two of you would be able to go to the party then. Saeran was in the agency's hands, and they would use him again Seven. Seven wouldn't allow it to happen. You both agreed to skip the party and instead track down Vanderwood and Saeran and rescue the other Choi brother. The others agreed to hold the party without either of you, although regretfully. You listened to their phone calls wishing you both good luck and making you promise to come back.
You finally learned Seven's real name, and he asked all of you to call him that from now on.
"I feel so sad that we're missing the party." Saeyoung said. You sat in the car listening to Jumin's speech at the party over the radio while he continued to track the coordinates of Vanderwood. The moment was peaceful and almost bittersweet, but the day was nice enough that you couldn't feel too much regret.
"It's okay. I could use a break from RFA parties, if I'm honest." You joked. The wind blew your hair in your face, so you brushed it away.
Saeyoung laughed a bit. "Oh yeah. From your point of view, you were recently at one right?"
You hummed in agreement. "Couple of weeks ago for me."
He was quiet for a moment before he said, "I'm so sorry . . . for making you suffer."
You looked again him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"For this timeline . . . and the last. My heart . . . has been yours for a long time now. Even since before you chose me." He placed aside his computer and turned to you, grabbing your hand. You stared at him in surprise at his confession. He smiled gently. "I never said it because it didn't matter . . . but I'm sure I've loved you in every timeline. I don't know if at the end of all of this time will reset again, but please choose me again if you do. I'll make you happy. I'll prove it to you . . . I'll be a happy Saeyoung with you."
Saeyoung leaned down, and you met his kiss. You didn't know if time would reset. You were happy now, although you knew not all of the mysteries were solved. What you did know was that the piece of your heart that always felt off wasn't bothering you anymore. But you weren't reassured quite yet. You knew that if time reset, you would go after Saeyoung again. You would call his real name and tell him everything that you knew. You would try again and again with him until you both figured out how to get the true end.
One day the resets would stop. Until then, you would keep this warmth with you. No more mistakes.