No. No. No.
Tao didn't regret meeting Ikhan. He couldn't. That moment was the highlight of his life, the only one he knew, living as Tao.
The boy with the smallest frame stood up slowly, "Hyung?"
Tao didn't know what expression was on his face.
"Hyung," Ikhan repeated, "It's you, right?"
Tao finally lifted his face to meet the other boy, trying to keep a smile, "Ah... I didn't think we'd meet again so soon." Tao could hear the slight tremble in his voice indicating fear, though he put in effort to mask it.
Shark burst into a fit of laughter, "Kuhahahaha! Did you hear that? The kid's calling Tao 'Hyung'!"
Hammer smirked and a wicked grin lifted the corners of Krantz's lips as well. The irony of the context was not lost on Tao. He'd been designed to be a killer with no familial bonds, especially not to be brotherly. If you step back and look at it that way, it was funny how he had tried to be otherwise, even for a moment. It was really unlike him. That was more Takeo's thing, and who knows where that man sauntered off to.
"Tao?" Ikhan repeated, "Is that Hyung's name?"
"Yeah." Tao admitted. Damn it. Now that Ikhan knows his name, there's no way Krantz would let him get out of the situation alive. Tao needed a lawyer. He needed to find a loophole in the orders where he could realistically save Ikhan without drawing too much negative attention to himself.
"Hyung," the boy continued, "What in the world is happening? Why are we here?"
How to answer him, Tao had not the slightest clue. They were unlucky. All of them. What could he do?
"Ikhan," his friends called out, "you know that person?"
"Y-Yeah..." Ikhan was nervous, "He's a Hyung I met once..."
"What's a person you know doing here?" One of the girls asked.
The other one piqued up too, "They're the ones who brought us here, right?"
"Yeah," Shark entered their conversation, "I brought you. Quite a few of you... I've gone through quite a bit of trouble."
"Why the hell you'd bring us here?" The boy with the red hair demanded.
Humans did not demand of Shark. For his insolence, Shark stomped down hard on the boy's head.
"Shinwoo!" Ihkan shouted out of concern. A normal human would've been dead from the impact. But this boy could still get up.
The Noblesse woke up too. The kids recognized M-21. They began to direct their desperate pleas for answers at him.
Tao felt empty inside. He was powerless to change the situation. Come on Tao, think! Think fast!