Chapter 11- Kao's Past
-Once again, Mystic Messenger does not belong to me! Please support the official game-
Kao: "Wait...what did Seven find?"
Me: "You'll have to wait and see~"
Zen: "Always the one to end on a cliffhanger."
Me: "U know it!"
He was staring at me, with those emerald green eyes of his. He was sucking me in, and I couldn't escape from his gaze. The gun in his hand was irrelevant, just from his stare, I knew he loved me. His eyes softened and he touched my face, whispering my name.
"Kao." I swallowed nervously, my emotions in a catastrophic wreck. All I could do was stay silent. The door banged open with a crash and our connection was broken, he turned around slowly, unlocking the safety on his gun.
"I knew you'd come." He said softly.
"Let her go." I clenched my teeth, my hands reached the knife I always had in my back pocket, I flipped it silently in my hands and started to cut the rope. "She's not the one you want."
"Yes, she is." As soon as the bonds came free I dived for the emerald eyed man as the gunshot went off.
And then there was silence.
I woke up covered in sweat, gasping. Jumin's brightly lit bedroom stared back at me. Wearily, I tossed the covers off of the bed and looked around. The guest room was the same as usual with it's large cylinder shaped fish tank in the corner and the huge window overlooking Seoul. My hands quickly swept over my untidy hair and I took a deep breath. What was that…? A nightmare? A chill swept across my skin and I shivered. That was Jeong. Why had Jeong acted like that?
The soft ticking of my alarm clock was the only response I had.
"It was just a dream." I said to myself. "Just a dream." I glanced at the alarm clock on my bed. It was 7:08 p.m, meaning I had slept through most of the day. It wasn't a surprise though. After a few sleepless nights in preparation for the fundraiser and filled with research about Mint Eye, I had become exhausted. I still was exhausted. I yawned loudly and fumbled for my phone on my night stand.
Kao has entered the chatroom.
Yoosung: Yeah well, it gives a 50% boost to all stats.
Jumin Han: How childish.
Yoosung: 50% JUMIN! 50%! THAT'S HUGE!
Jumin Han: How childish.
Yoosung: DON'T REPEAT YOURSELF!
Zen: Now, now children.
Yoosung: Don't call me a child =_=
Kao: Hey everyone.
Yoosung: Yay! Kao!
Jumin Han: Good evening.
Zen: Yo yo.
Kao: What have I stumbled into?
Zen: Something about a certain item in LOLOL, idk I got kind of lost.
Yoosung: One of the best items in the game in fact. The Swift Rainbow Armor of Slaying.
Zen: That sounds really stupid.
Yoosung: Ur really stupid :O
Zen: I think many of my fans would disagree ;)
Yoosung: =_=
Kao: So everyone but Jaehee is on then?
Jumin Han: That is correct, yes. Speaking of which, Jaehee has been acting somewhat amiss lately. She's been more taciturn than usual. Somewhat negligent as well, she forgot to do the papers I gave her yesterday."
Zen: It's like the man is speaking out of a dictionary.
Jumin Han: Just because I have a larger range of vocabulary than you, does not mean you have to whine about it.
Zen: You little…
Kao: Wait, so did you ask her what's wrong?
Jumin Han: She is merely my assistant. I do not see why I should care about such matters at work.
Zen: Real boss of the year.
Jumin Han: I do not need to hear this from you. All you care about is your fans.
Zen: That is NOT true. And even if it was, it's nothing to be ashamed about, fans are extremely important.
Kao: Chill you two.
Jumin Han: Childishness aside, I would like to congratulate everyone on our work so far regarding the fundraising party. As it is occurring the day after tomorrow, you are all free to relax until then. It will be a lovely party.
Yoosung: It's too bad Seven won't be there…
Jumin Han: It can't be helped. We must do what we can while he is gone. I'm sure he will come back when he finishes what needs to be done.
Yoosung: Or he just abandoned us because he was stressed out.
Jumin Han: Don't make assumptions like that.
Yoosung: Alright...
Zen: Honestly though, I feel like I haven't seen you guys in ages. You're all living in the same apartment now but I've still been busy with work.
Yoosung: I see Kao practically every day!
Kao: You're literally right next door to me haha. But it has been a while since I saw Jumin and Zen.
Jumin Han: It appears that the fundraising party will be a good opportunity to see each other again then.
Kao: I'm looking forward to it!
Jaehee Kang: As am I.
Yoosung: it's going to feel so weird. It's the first fundraising party we've had in over 2 years and rika and seven eon't be there…
Zen: Typo =_=
Yoosung: Yeah whatever, *won't
Kao: Hey hey, no negative thoughts before the big day.
Yoosung: yeah...ok
Jumin Han: Indeed. Although things are different this year, I believe they have taken a turn for the better, aside from Seven's disappearance of course. I think we should thank Kao for joining, without her this fundraiser would not have been possible.
Kao: Oh I really didn't do that much.
Jumin Han: I believe you did. Without you we would have had no incentive to get going, you also took Rika's place as leader, which was something no one wanted to do.
Kao: Wow...thanks Jumin :D
Zen: I agree.
Yoosung: what does incentive mean.
Jumin Han: Ah yes. I forgot that Yoosung is an idiot.
Yoosung: NO I'M NOT!
Zen: No one can use big kid words when Yoosung is in the chat~
Yoosung: SHUT UP!
Kao: pfft
Yoosung: Wait wat does incentive really mean though.
Kao: It means to take the initiative to do something
Yoosung: What's initiative mean?
Kao: Alright, I give up.
Jumin Han: This is why you attend your classes Yoosung.
Yoosung: HEY!
Zen: Anyways, I have a day off from work so I'll be stopping by the apartment to finish up some cards for the fundraiser.
Kao: Didn't we finish all the cards ages ago?
Zen: Meh, these are cards to thank guests for coming. It's just a little extra.
Kao: Ah okay.
Jumin Han: On another note, I must be leaving now. I won't be able to see all of you until the fundraiser, but I will be looking forward to it.
Jumin Han has left the chatroom.
Zen: Alright, see you guys soon.
Yoosung: cya
Kao: Bai bai
Zen has left the chatroom.
Yoosung has left the chatroom.
Kao has left the chatroom.
I turned off my phone before grabbing a quick change of clothes. Quickly, I shrugged on a sweater and walked out of the room. The apartment was quiet. A series of lights were dimmed around the main room and the rays of the setting sun fell onto the tiles of the kitchen floor. There was a faint lingering smell of coffee that drifted from the counter. I made myself (extremely late) breakfast, content that I had been smart enough to bring a box of Honey Buddah Cereal from my apartment.
I had just finished the bowl when I heard the doorbell ring. I opened the door, surprised to see Zen standing in the hallway.
"Hey." I greeted.
"Sup Kao." Zen replied as he walked inside and set a pile of cards on the table.
"Why are you here again?"
"The cards remember?" Zen gestured to the paper and I let out a "ohh".
"Right, I forgot. Do you want anything to eat or drink?" I offered.
"Just water is fine." I nodded and prepared a glass while Zen sat down on the couch, taking out a pen from his jacket pocket. I set the glass on the table and sat across from him.
Zen's fingers worked across the paper with elegance and skillfulness. I observed the letters as they appeared, watching as his penmanship swirl and glide like lace across the sheet.
"I wish I could write as nicely as you." I muttered finally, a little envious. Zen smirked.
"Looks nice doesn't it?" I nodded. His smile faded and the writing stopped.
"Hmm." He said contemplatively. There was a long pause, as if he was debating whether or not to say something. Finally, he continued. "Kao, when is Seven going to come back?" I glanced at him, startled, and then looked away.
"I'm sure Seven has something important he needs to do." I said finally, though my heart wasn't in the words. Zen could sense it.
"This fundraising party is the first we've had in two years." Zen added, putting his pen on the table. "This is incredibly important for us. If he just left like that it makes me wonder if it was ever important for him at all."
"That's-"
"Whatever." Zen said quickly as he cleared his throat. "It's just...something that has been on my mind for a bit. That's all." I opened my mouth to reply but then closed it. I didn't know what else to say. Zen had known Seven for much longer than I had.
"Speaking of people who have been gone lately. Where is Jumin? I haven't actually seen that guy in ages."
"That's a good point." I admitted. "I've only been able to talk to him in the chat." Zen clicked his tongue impatiently as he continued to write on the cards.
"If he doesn't show up I'll-" He paused. "I don't know what I'll do but it won't be good." I grinned.
"Sometimes you talk about Jumin so much I wonder if you're in love with him." I teased, glad the mood had been lightened. Zen looked at me, appalled.
"How could you even THINK of such a preposterous, disgusting thing?!" He demanded with widened eyes.
"Hey you never know-"
"No!" He yelled as his hand smacked his chest, feigning offense. "I'll never hand over my beautiful face and body to him! That's disgusting Kao!" I laughed, and by the time I was done my stomach was sore. Yoosung strolled into the room, rubbing his eyes.
"You're all so noisy…" He muttered.
"Yoosung!" Zen and I called out in unison.
"Did you get that armor?" I asked loudly.
"Not yet...I even pulled an all nighter on LOLOL." Yoosung muttered. I could see the prominent bags under his eyes.
"Jesus Yoosung." Zen called out disapprovingly. "The fundraiser is the day after tomorrow, pull yourself together."
"Ahh shut up." Yoosung snapped. "I need to get that special event armor. See you at dinner." And with that, he walked back into his room and slammed the door shut.
"Yoosung it's practically past dinner time!" I called out. "Get back here!" But he didn't reappear. Zen and I exchanged an exasperated glance.
"I worry about that boy." Zen said, shaking his head.
"This is the first time he's come out of his room in two days. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a pile of piss on his bed." I added. Zen snorted.
"Honestly, that's probably true." Then he sighed and ran a hand through his pearl white hair. "This is troubling though. This is exactly what he was like when Rika disappeared. He's depressed because Seven is gone. I nodded solemnly.
"I thought he was getting better."
"Yoosung has many complex stages of grief." Zen admitted. "First he hates everyone, then proceeds to ignore them, and then after he seems a bit better, he'll resort to constantly playing LOLOL."
"Sounds about right." Zen nodded and then grimaced.
"We can't let this continue though. Last time it got to the point where he had to go to the hospital. We found out that he had clinical depression afterwards as well."
"Jesus…"
"Yeah."
"I had no idea. What can we do?" I asked softly. "I already had a talk with him about Seven. I don't think having one again will help."
"Probably not. We have to convince him to focus on what's ahead of him is all." Zen replied. "The party is going to happen whether Seven is here or not. He can't be doing this. We have to be tough on him."
"Agreed." Zen nodded before standing up and stretching. "I'm going to order some dinner, Chinese okay?"
"Yeah."
After Zen ordered Chinese from a restaurant downtown, we waited for the delivery and spent the majority of the time trying to drag Yoosung out of his room. This resulted in a plethora of kicking and screaming on his part.
"THE ARMORRR!" Yoosung cried out, reaching for his door while Zen and I lifted him up and threw him on the couch. "NOOOOO!"
"Please stop screaming." Zen whined, covering his ears.
"THE SPECIAL EVENT ARMORR!" Yoosung cried out.
"Yoosung, enough!" I snapped.
"FIFTY PERCENT BONUS-" Before he could continue, I threw a pillow at him.
"Ow." He muttered, rubbing his face.
"Pull yourself together!" I lectured. Yoosung stared at me with a bitter pout.
"But-"
"No!" Zen snapped. "No buts Yoosung."
"But-"
"Eh? I said no buts!" Yoosung hissed at us (yes, actually hissed) and then turned his back towards us.
"Yoosung, come on." I said, my tone softening. "You've been playing that nonstop. When was the last time we had a proper conversation face to face?" Yoosung muttered something inaudible and continued to pout. I sighed.
"Are you still mad about...you know?" I questioned finally.
"About what?" Zen asked.
"Just something that happened a few days ago." I clarified. There was a long pause.
"No." Yoosung replied finally, surprising us both. "It's not about that, not really. I'm over it."
"So what is it then?" I inquired, trying not to press him too much. Yoosung sighed and his shoulders slumped.
"I just can't find anything else to do. Every time I'm about to do something productive I just feel so...heavy." His head turned towards us slightly. "It's hard to explain."
"It's probably from malnutrition and lack of sleep." Zen offered, sitting next to him.
"It's not just that though." Yoosung responded softly. Then he quickly looked forward again, as if he remembered that he was pouting. "I just don't want to do anything anymore. I don't want to have the party at all, not without Seven."
"Yoosung-" Zen began.
"I know you all probably think I'm being a brat right now." Yoosung added. "And you're right, I am. But right now I just feel lost. LOLOL keeps my mind off of things.
"Talking to us would do that too." I offered.
"You're the one who's constantly gone." Yoosung snapped. "Off doing whatever you think is important." I grimaced a little.
"You're right. But I feel awful about it, I really do."
"Kao is different." Zen defended. "She's doing stuff for the fundraiser, things she believes should be done. You're just staying at home and doing nothing." He took a deep breath. "Listen, we're not trying to lecture you, although that's probably what this sounds like. We're just worried about you. This is what happened with Rika and none of us want that to happen again. I believe that you've matured since then. It can be different this time."
"I'm not so sure about that." Yoosung replied with a dry laugh. "I'm just a video game addict, same as two years ago."
"Don't say that." Zen said angrily. "Yoosung look at me." Yoosung continued to keep his back towards us, unmoving.
"Look at me." Zen repeated again, his face stern. "Now." Slowly, Yoosung turned towards us. His face appeared to be both crestfallen and hopeless.
"I know that Seven leaving was difficult for you. It was for all of us. But you can't keep acting like this when something terrible happens. If you do, life is going to suck." Zen said. Yoosung fidgeted.
"It will." Zen continued. "I can promise you that. You can't drop everything whenever that happens. You have to keep going despite how crappy you feel, and eventually you'll become stronger. This all probably sounds ridiculous to you, but we're all here for you. You can't forget that. Okay?" Zen asked. Yoosung was silent.
"Think about how Seven would act if you were gone. He wouldn't stop searching for you, wouldn't stop doing what he needed to. Remember that." After a brief pause, Yoosung responded.
"Yeah. Alright." Yoosung sniffed a little. He was about to say something before his stomach growled loudly.
"Someone is hungry." I said with a grin.
"Yeah, yeah. Shuddup." Yoosung muttered. He jumped when the doorbell suddenly rang.
"That's probably the chinese food there." Zen said. And it was.
For the rest of the evening, Zen, Yoosung and I just talked. We sat on the couch across from one another while we ate chinese food, chatting about Seven, and about the upcoming fundraiser. By the end of it, Yoosung seemed like he normally was. Cheerful and optimistic. He had eaten most of the food, including some of ours and was bouncing on the couch.
"All right, all right. Calm DOWN!." Zen blurted out as Yoosung grabbed his shoulders and leaned onto his back.
"I forgot how good food tasted." Yoosung swooned. "Especially food from the Golden Dragon."
"It's great yeah, less great when most of your food is eaten." I eyed him.
"I'm sorry!"
I laughed. "It's fine. I'm just joking."
"She has a point though." Zen muttered before I jabbed him in the ribs.
"Really, don't worry about it." I affirmed. Yoosung belched and then sighed happily.
"Yum…."
"You seem better now though." Zen admitted, glancing over his shoulder to look at Yoosung. "Less emo and more...Yoosung." The blonde grinned.
"You betcha. I feel so much better now, it was probably the food."
"Did the talk help?" I offered. Yoosung nodded and got off of Zen, sitting beside him.
"I still want to play LOLOL, but I'm going to try getting out more and prepare for the fundraiser."
"Great, thanks Yoosung." He nodded.
"Nah, thank you guys." Yoosung scratched his head. "Sometimes when an important person in my life disappears, I forget that I have other people supporting me."
"It's easy to forget." Zen said softly before clearing his throat. "All this mushy talk really got to me though." He laughed uneasily and threw his white hair over his shoulder. "Can you imagine what Jumin would say if he caught me talking about that?"
"He'd never let you forget it." I cooed.
"Damn right." Zen snorted. "It's like he doesn't have anything better to do."
"Do you only bash on Jumin in your free time?" Yoosung inquired, tilting his head.
"It's like he has a crush! I know!" I squealed.
"It is most definitely NOT a crush." Zen snapped. "More like a mutual hatred."
"Oh come on, that's a little harsh." I added, slightly dejected.
Zen shrugged. "Meh."
"Tsk tsk tsk." Yoosung shook his head. "Not being honest about your twu wuv." Zen smacked Yoosung with a pillow and then grabbed his fortune cookie sitting on the table.
"Just for that, I'm taking this."
"HEY! You ate yours already!" Yoosung cried out. Zen stood up and backed away.
"Your point?"
"Don't steal my fortune! It's been months since I've had one!"
"Awww. That's just too bad isn't it?" Zen teased before opening the wrapper.
"ZEN!" Yoosung jumped off of the couch and chased Zen across the room. I snorted and shook my head.
"Boys. I'll never understand them." I muttered before grabbing my cookie on the table. It had been ages since I had last eaten chinese food, I couldn't remember the last time I ate a fortune cookie. I peeled off the wrapper and snapped it in half. After yanking the small slip of paper out, I ran my fingers across it's surface. Written boldly and plainly, were the words:
Be careful. Something bad will happen soon.
I stared at it silently. A sense of dread washed over me. I shook my head. It was just a silly fortune, most of them never even came true. Even so, I couldn't shake the feeling. I suddenly remembered the dream from earlier, and a chill swept across my skin.
"Kao, you okay?" Yoosung asked, suddenly popping beside me.
"You look really pale." Zen added, standing beside him.
"I'm fine." I replied quickly. Before I could say anything more, the door slammed open and we all jumped.
Jaehee stood in the doorway. Her face was tense and her lips were tight. I stood up, surprised.
"Oh Jaehee, hey."
"Kao, I need to talk to you." She said quickly, ignoring my greeting.
"Wait, what's wrong?" Zen questioned. Jaehee glanced at him briefly before looking away.
"My apologies Zen. This is for Kao and Kao only."
"Is everything okay?" Yoosung asked quietly. Jaehee didn't reply to this.
"Meet me in your room." She said, gesturing to me. I nodded lamely as she disappeared behind my door.
"What's up with her?" Yoosung inquired.
"No idea. Jumin did say she was acting strangely." I replied, worry and anxiety bit at me like a viper. What if it was about Seven? Was he okay? Jaehee rarely acted like this. The image of the fortune appeared in my mind again and I couldn't help but shiver. Stop it. You don't have time for this.
"Well I had to get going anyways." Zen said as he checked his watch. "Jeez. Almost midnight. I barely even made progress on those cards."
"We talked for a while." I admitted before turning my attention onto Yoosung. "Make sure you get some sleep, okay?" Yoosung frowned.
"Hey, don't treat me like a child." Then he smiled a little. "But yeah, thanks Kao, I know you mean well." I nodded.
"Night Zen." I added.
"Good night Kao." Zen said from across the room. He grabbed his cards and made his way towards the door. "I'll see you at the fundraiser."
"See you then." I called out. Yoosung waved before yawning and disappearing through his door. I took a deep shuddering sigh and then slowly walked over to my bedroom. My hand hesitated briefly before I twisted the knob and stepped inside.
When I entered my room, Jaehee was sitting on my bed staring at my desk. Her face was unemotional, and yet I sensed there was something cold behind it. She glanced at me and then gestured me over.
"What's up?" I asked uneasily. Jaehee stood up and walked over to my desk, after staring at it for a split second she opened the drawer on the side and held out a stack of paper. I froze.
"What are these?" Jaehee asked coldly as she threw the papers onto my bed. Pages upon pages of information about RFA and Mint Eye fell in midair and landed on my covers. I swallowed nervously, my palms sweating.
"Why were you looking through my drawer?" I asked finally.
"Don't change the subject Kao."
"Why were you looking through my stuff?" My voice rose. "Did you really rummage through my drawer while I was gone?"
"You were acting strange and I wanted to know why." Jaehee defended. "You were locking yourself in your room every day, asking me strange questions, barely talking to the rest of us. At first I thought it was Seven but now I don't think it is."
"That doesn't give you permission to ignore my privacy." I hissed.
"Either way, I didn't rummage through your drawer." Jaehee replied calmly. "When I came in to clean up, they were sitting on your desk." I bit my lip, frustrated that I had been so careless.
"Did you read them?" I asked after a brief pause.
"I skimmed over them." Jaehee admitted. "Why are you researching Mint Eye? You should know we haven't been able to find much about them, we need Seven here for things like that." I stayed silent. "And the fundraiser two years ago? That had nothing to do with Mint Eye, it was just a coincidence-"
"It wasn't."
"What?" Jaehee stared at me.
"It wasn't a coincidence." I said again.
"What are you insinuating?" She demanded.
"Mint Eye was the cause behind the scandal." I stated, my tone quieting considerably.
"That's absurd."
"No it's not." I said with a frown. "It makes perfect sense actually."
"How did they rob us in the first place?" Jaehee was getting frustrated, her calm demeanor was slowly disappearing. "Two years ago, when our donors were robbed, how did they get that information?" I swallowed nervously, debating whether to tell her or not. Jaehee was trembling slightly, her arms were crossed over her chest and her hands loosely gripped her arms.
"Because they had someone working in RFA." I said finally. Even I knew that I couldn't hold back so much information anymore. I couldn't cover this up. "Someone who was working as a double agent."
"Yeah? Who would that be?" Jaehee questioned, frustrated. V. His name was on my lips, a second away from being spoken before I saw her face, fearful and anxious. I realized that telling Jaehee would ruin her. She had been working constantly every day to keep the fundraiser going, and even from where I was standing I could see the bags under her eyes. How could I possibly tell her that the leader of RFA, the person who had kept them together all these years, was secretly working against them? And suddenly I saw her as fragile as glass. If I said one wrong thing she would break. I couldn't do that to a friend. If I was going to tell them about V, it would have to be after the fundraiser. Jaehee waited for me to speak but I stayed silent.
"I don't know." I said finally.
"You don't know?" She asked with a scoff. "How can you not know Kao? How can you say something like that with no proof?" Her voice died off and she sighed. After taking off her glasses she massaged her forehead. "You don't have to keep all this a secret." She said finally, sitting on the bed. I wilted a bit and then sat beside her. Lately it seemed like I had been hurting everyone in RFA.
"I'm sorry." I said finally. "I wanted to tell you all but-" V's face flashed into my mind as he shook hands with people I had never seen before. "I don't know." I finished lamely. "It was all so stressful."
"I can understand." Jaehee said with a wry laugh. "I think everyone has been stressed since Seven left." I nodded slowly and then took a deep breath.
"Listen," I said quietly as I interlaced my fingers. "I'm tired of keeping these things from everyone. I want to tell you everything." Almost everything. Jaehee nodded and then looked at me, putting her glasses back on. I gathered the papers on the bed and started from the very beginning; from the files in Seven's house and Jeong with the tapes. I told her everything that I had been quiet about for the last week, about my loneliness and my stress. And admittedly, it felt good. Jaehee listened, a little surprised and sometimes confused, but it seemed like she understood. By the time that I was done it was nearly 5 in the morning.
"I can't believe it." Jaehee let out a sigh, leaning back.
"It's a lot." I admitted. Are we okay though? You're not mad anymore?" I asked.
"Well I'm still slightly upset you kept all of that hidden for so long. But I feel much better." Jaehee said with a little laugh. "Thank you for telling me all that." I nodded. "I had no idea though. About Mint Eye. About everything. Truthfully it's a little terrifying."
"Believe me, I agree." Jaehee sat up and blinked.
"Hold on, Kao you're adopted?"
"That's the thing you ask about?" I questioned, exasperated. "But yeah." I remembered that I had told her about my own file.
"I just never knew."
I shrugged. "I just didn't find it important."
"Do you know who your parents are?" Jaehee asked. I shook my head.
"No, and frankly I don't want to. I don't want to learn about the people who died before I could get to know them, who blew up before I could even remember their faces; my adoptive parents will always be my real parents to me."
"Blew up?" Jaehee inquired, confused. I sighed.
"You don't have to say anything if you don't want." Jaehee reassured.
"No...it's fine. I was found with burn marks on me. So the people who rescued me speculated that my parents had been driving a car. And that they got into an accident and died."
"Do you have any marks now?" I was silent before yanking down the collar of my pajama top and moving my hair to the side.
"It's on the back of my neck." Jaehee leaned behind me while I stared at the wall, withdrawn.
"Wow. I had never even noticed it before."
"I grew my hair out for the purpose of covering it." I admitted before tossing it over my back again. "I've always been ashamed of them. Most of the scars went away over the years but that one is still slightly visible. It's hard to see without being pointed out."
"I see. I'm sorry for being so insensitive." Jaehee added softly.
"You're fine. I'm the one who's been keeping so many things from you." And I haven't
even told you everything. I thought bitterly.
"This is all so much." Jaehee admitted. "And you're sure you don't want to know even a little bit about your parents?" She questioned. I leaned back on the bed so I could stare at the ceiling.
"Eh." Jaehee waited for me to elaborate but I continued to stay silent. Finally, she gathered the remainders of the paper and set them on the desk.
"Well that's fine I suppose." She turned to look at me before readjusting her glasses. "Let's go."
"Wait." I sat up abruptly. "Go where?"
"To work of course." Jaehee said with a smile.
"What?"
"To where Mr. Han and I work. The research tools there are state of the art. I want to know more about Mint Eye and you do as well." I jumped off the bed and grinned.
"Awesome, I've always wondered what it looks like." Jaehee checked her watch.
"Let's go then." After I gathered my things and shut the door behind me, Jaehee and I exited Jumin's apartment and set off for the headquarters.
The building that Jumin and Jaehee worked at was beautiful. The facade consisted of glass that ran across its walls, reflecting the rising sun and the other skyscrapers around us. As I peered out into the city from the inside, I found myself mesmerized at the view, despite having seen it countless times.
"Looks nice doesn't it?" Jaehee inquired from across the room. I replied without turning.
"It's gorgeous."
"That's what all new employees think when they start working." Jaehee added, strolling over to me. "And then after a week of all nighters and countless stacks of paperwork they forget the view and start realizing how miserable their lives have become." I gave her an empathetic glance and she smiled dryly.
"My apologies. Follow me." Jaehee cleared her throat before leading me through hallways floored with marble and surrounded by gorgeous vases and artwork; things that most likely cost more than my own apartment did. She stopped at one door in particular, and after placing her identification next to it it clicked open.
The room that spanned out before us was ginormous. The walls and carpet were dark grey. Countless monitors and screens surrounded computers that sat on rows upon rows of desks. The lights that hung from the ceiling were dimmed to an extent to which the screens acted as beacons. Jaehee led me down to a row of computers on the side and sat down in a chair, gesturing to the one next to her. I gratefully took a seat.
"We're here early so nobody will notice you." Jaehee said calmly as she took out a folder from her bag. I nodded and we got to work.
Jaehee was right. The archives and research capabilities were so much better than the ones I had originally used. I looked up events about RFA, and anything I could find about Mint Eye. I had just finished scribbling down a sentence before Jaehee tapped me on my shoulder.
"What's up?" I inquired.
"Well I was researching more about Mint Eye's history." Jaehee began. "And I think that they were created much earlier than RFA was."
"Oh? Why's that?"
"Because of their procedure, sending that message to everyone, the paradise thing, attacking people and stealing from them. That's all been done before, it's been happening for the last seventeen years."
"But that...that doesn't make sense. Why didn't I find anything about them before?"
"You weren't using the right technology. Mint Eye secretly attacked a lot of organizations that were either top secret or filthy rich. Everything was covered up. They also went by a different alias before. I'm guessing they changed it two years ago to Mint Eye."
"So we're not their first victim." I said softly. Jaehee nodded.
"I was able to create a list of Mint Eye's targets or victims. Although it's all speculation." She turned her screen towards me. "These two were on it and they caught my eye." Eyeing her wearily, I scooted next to her and glanced at her screen.
The first thing I saw was a photo of a young couple. The woman was beautiful with a kind smile and light brown eyes and hair. The man had a more mischievous face, with messy black hair and dark eyes. His arm was wrapped around her shoulder, pulling her next to him. I stared at the picture, my chest tightening.
"Who are they?" I asked finally, my eyes sliding to hers.
"That is Lee Seo-Yon." Jaehee said as she pointed at the woman. "And that is Goo Tai-Hee." She added, pointing at the man. "They were two prominent leaders in the Korean government, and part of a top secret research project." A sense of foreboding crawled across my skin, and I shivered.
"So what was different about them?" I inquired finally.
"Tai-Hee and Seo-Yon were just as rich as the other targets, so at first there was nothing special about them. But when I started researching all of the victims individually, I discovered that these two were the only ones that died."
"Mint Eye only killed them? I thought they murdered several people." I admitted. Jaehee shook her head.
"So why only them?" I asked.
"I'm not exactly sure. I'm speculating it has something to do with their status as government officials."
"That's weird." I muttered. "How did they die then?"
"Their house was burned down. They were never seen again and it was speculated that they died in the fire."
"Okay, but how do you know if it was by Mint Eye?"
"It had to be." Jaehee answered, adamant. "There were many signs that the fire was manmade, not an accident. And they were Mint Eye's target's at the time."
"Alright." I said, looking back at my screen, my brow furrowed. What did Mint Eye want with them?
"And Kao, there was one more thing that I think you should hear." I turned towards her again.
"I think-" She paused and then corrected herself. "I have reason to believe that Lee Seo-Yon and Goo Tai-Hee were your birth parents."
Seven's P.O.V
"Luciel?" Vanderwood asked, eyeing me closely. I stared at the stream, silent and then at looked at him.
"Kao's birth parents were victims of Mint Eye." I said quietly.
"What?"
"Kao was adopted." I clarified, looking at him. "She never knew who her birth parents were. And I could never find it out, they're actually Lee Seo Yon and Goo Tai-Hee." Vanderwood's eyes widened.
"Weren't they the leaders of the Algorithm Project all those years ago?" He asked finally. "I thought they died in a fire."
"Supposedly they did, after having their money stolen. And their newborn 'died' in it too." Vanderwood shook his head.
"That's too much of a coincidence."
"You think? That's not even the big part." I handed him the file. Vanderwood looked over it closely.
"She's labeled as a key figure." He looked at me but I stayed silent. "What does that mean?"
"Kao was chosen by Mint Eye for a reason. That reason is because of her parents." Vanderwood nodded and I continued to speak.
"They want some kind of information from her. Information they believe she'll tell them."
"What?"
"It says right here." I explained, grabbing the file and pointing at it. "She'll give information to Mint Eye."
"That's ridiculous." Vanderwood said with a frown. "They could never get Kao to tell them
anything."
"Yeah I thought that too."
"Besides, this is all too complicated of a plan. Let's say this is all true. That they killed Kao's parents because they wouldn't give them information on the project, saved the kid, waited for the kid to grow up, and had the kid join RFA just to get them on their side again? Why not just kidnap the child in the first place?"
"I don't know." I admitted.
"Maybe we're missing something here." Vanderwood suggested, peering at the files closely. "Maybe it's not that Mint Eye planned all this. Maybe something else interfered with their plan."
"Who?" I asked. Vanderwood shook his head.
"Someone who's been behind the scenes this entire time."
"That would explain part of it." I admitted.
"Besides, the information that they want is something she wouldn't be able to give. Kao probably wouldn't even remember them."
"Perhaps." I said quietly. "But she might remember more than she thinks."
We were silent. Vanderwood grabbed the file again and continued to observe it. After turning a page and scanning it quickly he blinked.
"What's this mean?" He asked as he pointed at the page. I leaned over him, following his finger.
"Interception date…? The date of the attack?" I looked next to it. "That's the day of the fundraising party." I said slowly. Vanderwood and I met eye contact.
"That wouldn't mean…"
"I think it would." I replied quickly, my hands formed into fists. Kao was in danger.
Kao's P.O.V
Her words hung in the air. I ran them over and over again in my mind but my lips remained parted. I have reason to believe that Lee Seo-Yon and Goo Tai-Hee were your birth parents.
"What?" I asked with an uneasy scoff.
"You heard me correctly."
"That's...ridiculous." I leaned back, retracting my arm from the computer screen and looking away. "I know I told you that I was adopted, but I never wanted you to look into who my parents were."
"I didn't plan to." Jaehee said quickly. "And I apologize for peering into your life. But please hear me out. Lee Seo-Yon and Goo Tai-Hee supposedly died in a fire, like I said earlier. It was speculated that their five year old daughter had died with them. But I don't think she died." Our eyes met.
"Her name was never revealed but I think that child was you." She continued. I stared at her, shocked and then shook my head wildly.
"No. I was discovered near highway, after a car-"
"Kao, it wasn't a car accident that you were in. It was a fire. Your house burned down, you lived next to the highway. You had burn marks on you."
"No, my parents car blew up." I said quickly.
"The adoption agency just said that because they didn't have an explanation for it."
"Then how was I practically unscathed from the fire?!" I yelled, my heart hammering against my chest. "Shouldn't I have died with them?!"
"Somehow you were saved-"
"And all of the sudden I'm just supposed to believe that my parents were apparently governmental officials?! That's absurd!" I was hyperventilating. My palms were sweating and my vision was swirling. I stood up from my chair and backed away, my back hitting the desk behind me.
"Kao listen to me." Jaehee said hurriedly, trying to calm me. "Your date of birth matches up with the date of the fire, you look like them, you were found in the same area as their home, and you had burn marks on your skin." She finished. "All we would really need to prove it is a DNA test." We were silent. Uneasiness began to creep in the room one more before I finally shook my head.
"I need to go."
"Kao-"
"Goodbye." I said quickly, rushing out of the room before shutting the door behind me.
Seven's P.O.V
It was a beautiful day. Birds chirped melodically, fluttering across branches and staring beadily out over the emerald forest. Rays of sunlight filtered through the leaves and left trails of warm light over the dirt. For the most part, it was peaceful. Or at least it was, before Vanderwood and I burst through the underbrush and hurried across the forest floor. Birds cried out in surprise and hastily flew away from the surrounding trees. Neither of us cared however. We moved as fast as we could against the pain. Vanderwood cried out and staggered to the side, coughing a bit of blood and wiping his chin with his sleeve. I glanced back at him and he waved me away.
"I'll be fine."
"You sure you don't want me to carry you again?" I questioned, breathless. Vanderwood shook his head.
"You can't support me right now." It was true. I had to half limp and half run through the forest. My ankle was screaming in pain and agony, buzzing against the makeshift bandage I had wrapped around it.
"How close are we?" Vanderwood asked with a groan, leaning against a tree.
"I don't know. You got rid of my phone." Vanderwood grimaced. I sighed angrily. Every second we spent standing here was a second that we weren't driving back to Seoul. A second where Kao was put in even more danger.
"That's right," Vanderwood's words snapped me out of my trance. "I didn't want to bring my phone either, in the case that it would be tracked. Are we even going the right way?" I was silent to this. I didn't remember running across the stream we had seen earlier on the way to the hideout, for all I knew we were heading in the opposite direction.
"Where did you park your car again?" I inquired.
"Right next to yours pretty much." Without responding, I grabbed a branch above me and hauled myself up with a grunt.
"What are you doing?" Vanderwood eyed me wearily.
"Getting a vantage point." I replied, grasping another branch and climbing upwards. My ankle slipped against the bark and I fell against the tree. Doing my best to ignore the searing pain, I hauled myself up above the treeline.
At first, All I saw around me was emerald trees. In the distance, I could see mountains in varying sizes that were covered in green. My eyes scanned the horizon, locking onto the faint silhouette of the city. That was the same direction of the highway, which meant our cars were there. It was slightly to the left of us. I breathed a sigh of relief, we weren't too far off track. Suddenly, a gust of wind slammed my chest. I had to grip a branch for support as it swept up the leaves around me.
"Luciel!" Vanderwood's muffled voice reached my ears. I grabbed a lower branch and let myself hang so my legs dangled above the ground. I jumped to another and then let myself drop. The impact came quickly, I rolled onto my back before standing up with a grimace.
"We're in the right track." I pointed to the left of us. "Keep going that way." Vanderwood nodded and stumbled past me, holding his side. I cast one last look at the tree before following him.
Kao's P.O.V
I don't really know my first memory. Sometimes I think it's one thing, then I think it's another. Other times, I remember bits of pieces that are unfamiliar to me. I do clearly remember the orphanage. It wasn't a bad life. They fed us and looked after us. We weren't abused at all either like typical orphans in movies. During that time, I always wanted to talk to my peers. But all the other kids already had friends or they had no interest in making new ones, and the headmistress was too busy managing the orphanage.
As a result, I felt neglected and lonely. I admittedly blamed my birth parents for leaving me and I never found out who they were, or what happened. No one had ever told me the circumstances of how I had been abandoned for many years, and I had always assumed that they had left me on the highway, not wanting to take care of me. Back then I told myself I didn't need anyone else, I grew up to be independent and strong willed. I never allowed myself to admit that all I wanted was someone to love.
And to be loved.
When I was finally adopted at the age of 7 I was overjoyed. I would finally have a family. My adoptive parents were extremely kind to me. They enrolled me in a better schooling system and my life began to take shape as something I had always dreamed of it being.
I had a sister as well, who was three years older than me. Her name was Seong and I loved her dearly. She became my best friend and we shared everything, becoming practically inseparable. After I got into high school however, things began to change. My father was diagnosed with a serious case of Alzheimer's disease, which was rare for being so young. The doctor informed us that in a matter of time, he wouldn't remember anything about us.
It was especially hard on my sister who would shut herself in her room for weeks on end, only eating here and there. I had overwhelming amounts of work from all the volunteer hours and activities I was involved in. I had also gained a close friend who I'd hang out with after school. My mother begged me not to get distracted by the things at home, she said I had a future and I had to keep striving for it. So I did. I never had time to be with my family, and before I knew it, a year and a half quickly passed. And by then my father had forgotten about us.
It was painful, walking into their room and seeing my dad lying there, staring blankly at the wall. My mother never stopped believing that he would recover. She would feed him and show him pictures and slideshows of our past. She would tell him about all the holidays that we had celebrated, Korean, American and many others. Even if no one else celebrated them. Like that one time at Christmas when he had accidentally fallen into the Christmas tree. That one makeshift Halloween when we had all dressed up like pumpkins and we were too fat to fit through the door. My dad would laugh a little, and for a moment we all thought he was back; that the person we loved had returned, and that it was all just a funny little prank. But then his smile would fade and he would continue to stare at the wall, and we realized that it wasn't a joke. It was just life. And we had to deal with it.
By the time I finished high school, I realized that my home wasn't a warm place anymore. It was full of memories, warmth that was in the past and things that could never happen again. Whenever I stepped inside there would be no one welcoming me home, no warm smile from my family. Just the empty kitchen table staring at me, where we once laughed like we didn't have a care in the world.
My sister was already in college and she barely talked to us anymore. My close friend in high school had drifted away from me, and she was occupied with her boyfriend. My mother had picked up a job to support herself, so I rarely saw her anymore either. When she was home, she would sit in my father's room, rocking back and forth on her chair and staring blankly out of the window. After days of this, I realized that I didn't love my home anymore. So I left. I enrolled in a college far away from my home and I ran.
College was a fresh start from me. I cleared the past from my mind and focused on my school work. I never was able to pick up anymore friends, just people I occasionally talked to, or co workers for part-time jobs I did. I majored in finance, something I had always been skilled with and did quite well in. Eventually my past became something that I rarely thought about anymore and I became more outgoing and positive.
When I graduated from college and got a well-paying job at a company I was content. I bought an apartment for myself and planned a life ahead of me. I tried to get ahold of my sister so we could talk again, but she said she was always busy, an excuse I knew well. I didn't blame her for not wanting to talk. I knew that to her, I was a living reminder of home, and of dad. Just like she was to me.
Eventually I got to know my coworkers more. We would go out for dinner or lunch, maybe a sports game here or there. But I never really connected with them. I would laugh along with them and follow them because I didn't have anyone else to follow. When I got home from work I would slump on the couch and watch television programs about close friends and their life in New York, or rewatch my favorite movie about a certain wizard in a magical school. It was a sad, pathetic schedule I followed without knowing, a lifestyle my brain had succumbed to.
And then I joined RFA. Perhaps I wanted to join because of my loneliness and boredom. A typical person wouldn't just accept becoming part of such an unknown thing. But I took a chance, a step towards something new. And I was so relieved when I did.
I found a group of people that I enjoyed being with. I would stay up until 4:00 a.m in the morning, talking to all of them and giggling like a madman. I suppose this was the social aspect of my life that I had never experienced, aside from my sister and friend in high school who were now both gone. Of course, I had never considered myself to be anti-social primarily because I could interact quite well with others. However, I could never truly put myself out there before RFA. I loved each member individually, Jaehee, Jumin, Yoosung and Zen.
And then there was Seven.
In the past, I had crushes in high school and college. They were little admirations from afar because of how smart they were, or how athletic they were, or because they had a nice face. But I had never really liked someone before. That all changed when I met Seven. I didn't like him right away of course, he was more of a friend. But then I realized how I felt when my mind wouldn't wander from him, and my eyes would drift to his.
Seven was my first love, he still is my first love, despite the fact that we've only known each other for a short amount of time. And that's why I can't let go. Because as soon as I stop investigating, I'll feel like he's truly gone. And now I'm just holding onto the remains of him. And every time I take a large step towards him, reaching for him, he just disappears into wisps of smoke like he was never truly there in the first place. Like all the happiness we experienced was merely a dream. I want to go look for him, but I have no idea where to go. So I'll stay here. I'll stay and hope that he comes back so I can see his smile one more time.
Seven's P.O.V
Nearly two hours had passed before Vanderwood collapsed, unable to move any further. I hobbled over to him as quickly as I could.
"You okay?" I asked. Vanderwood's face was contorted in pain, he spat more blood out, coloring the leaves beneath him.
"Jesus." I muttered, turning him over and pulling up his shirt to observing the wound. Although the bullet had been taken out, he still appeared to be in terrible shape. The makeshift bandage I had wrapped around his waist was tainted with crimson and moist to the touch.
"We're moving too much. It's bleeding again."
"We can't afford to stop." He muttered. His face had taken on a pale and pasty color, as if all the blood had drained from his face.
"No." I replied. "We can't." It had taken us over a day to cover the distance before, how could we possibly make that time like this? I pushed the thought away from my mind and ripped off more fabric from my shirt, tightly wrapping it around the wound. Vanderwood grimaced as I pulled him up. "Get on my shoulders."
"Your ankle-"
"We don't have time for this." I snapped. "Get on." With a grunt, Vanderwood wrapped his arms around my neck and I stood up shakily.
"Giddiup." He mumbled. I scoffed and continued walking.
"God you weigh a lot."
"I work out." Muttered Vanderwood.
"It's funny. It really doesn't look like it."
"Shut up skinny boy." Despite myself, I grinned.
"Hold up." He said. I stopped moving. "Look there." Vanderwood weakly pointed to the left of me, beyond a few trees. Just a few feet away from us was a small river. I hobbled over to it as quickly as I could. The sound of rushing water greeted my ears as we stopped over the edge.
"This is probably connected to the stream somehow." I said, my eyes scanning over the rapids. "I told you we should have followed the water."
"I thought we would have ended up in a completely different direction." Vanderwood muttered. I gently set him down and cupped the cold water below me, greedily drinking it from my hands.
"It's going downhill." Vanderwood said quietly. His eyes scanned across the rapids until they disappeared from sight. "That could be our quick way to get out of the forest. It's headed in the same direction as we are."
"We don't have a boat." I countered, wiping my mouth. "And neither of us are fit for swimming right now. You would probably bleed out." Vanderwood was silent. I stared at him and then grabbed more water for him with my hands. Most of it splattered onto his chin but he seemed grateful for it anyhow.
"We should get going soon." I said, starting to stand up. Vanderwood stopped me.
"Wait. Did you hear that?"
"Hear what."
"That noise." Vanderwood sat up, his eyes dark. We were silent, listening intently for whatever he had heard.
"I don't hear anyth-" Before I could finish, there was a rustle behind us. Vanderwood and I turned around slowly.
Behind us, was a large black bear. It stared at us intently. I quickly averted my eyes. I heard Vanderwood softly utter something. Steadily, it crept towards us. I swallowed nervously and slowly, very slowly, stood up and held my hands out in front of me. I had training about what to do in this situation, but what worried me was Vanderwood. He didn't move, he couldn't. We both knew that if he moved, the bear would be able to smell it's wound, if it didn't already. My heart hammered in my chest. The bear ignored me, it's head tilted towards Vanderwood and it sniffed the air. Then it crawled towards him.
I was stuck. I could most definitely escape by myself, but Vanderwood couldn't. And if I took him with me I knew we couldn't outrun it. My fingers lingered at the gun at my belt, but I knew that it could survive several shots for a few minutes unless I was lucky enough to shoot it in the right spot. And I wasn't even a good shot. So if I did manage to hit it, it would survive long enough to attack Vanderwood or myself. Sweat dripped down my chin as I continued to move back until my heel met the edge of the river. But I couldn't leave Vanderwood.
I gently grabbed his collar and dragged him back, still averting my eyes. I hoped that it wasn't enough movement to open up his wound further. The bear growled, it's claws leaving marks on the ground as it continued to make it's way towards us. Vanderwood grabbed my waist with a grunt, using me for support. The creature hadn't made any sudden movements, that was good. I took a step to the right, careful not to fall into the river. But then I felt something moist against my side. Blood. Vanderwood's blood. Sweating, my eyes slowly moved to meet the bear. And then I knew that I had made a mistake. The bear roared furiously and dashed towards us. Making a split second decision, I dove to the right, looking back at the bear who had slashed into the space we were not a moment ago. We couldn't outrun it. We couldn't fight it. There was only one option we had. Taking a deep breath, I rolled over, Vanderwood still in my arms, and let the freezing water of the river embrace me.
I couldn't breath. The frigid water washed over my hot skin as I opened my mouth, the oxygen leaving my system. My lungs burned as I grasped Vanderwood's shirt and yanked him up towards the surface so he could breath. My grip on him slipped. I could hear the muffled sound of a splash, alerting me to the knowledge that the bear had jumped in with us. I swam upwards while the current pulled me forward, the distorted view of the sky surrounding my vision before I broke the surface of the water and took in deep gulps of air. I searched around me desperately, looking for Vanderwood. I saw him, just a few feet away and being carried by the current. I swam forward and did my best to ignore the roars behind me.
Black bears weren't the best swimmers, but I knew that they could do it fairly well. And my speed had decreased substantially because of my ankle. With grit teeth, I reached Vanderwood within a matter of seconds and grabbed him. I wasn't surprised to see that he was unconscious. He had lost too much blood.
The bear wasn't far behind us, and now I couldn't use my gun at all. I kicked the water as hard as I could, letting myself get carried by the fast current. I couldn't die here. I owed Kao, I owed all of my friends, including Vanderwood and the others. Still swimming, I grabbed rope from my belt. I cast a quick look behind me. The bear was only a few feet away. Working as quickly as I could, I tied the rope around Vanderwood's belt and mine. My eyes widening as I caught glimpse of a small waterfall ahead of us. For a split second we were airborne, our legs dangling on nothing, the frigid water splashing onto our backs. And then we were submerged again. I coughed as I broke the surface of the water. I knew what I had to do. Treading water and still being carried by the current, I grabbed a swiss army knife from my belt, the only one I had and then looked behind me. The bear had fallen down the miniature waterfall. It had forced a small wave to splash over Vanderwood and myself. I took a deep breath, waiting until I stopped bobbing up and down. And then I threw the knife.
For a moment, it seemed like time had stopped. I saw the knife fly across the rapids, rotating so the blade reflected the water. The bear opened it's mouth to roar once more. I hoped with every fiber of my being that it hit.
And it did. The knife embedded itself into the bear's skull, right between the eyes. It died instantly. The bear's jaw was still open as it disappeared beneath the surface of the water. But I had barely any time to celebrate. Gasping, I turned around as I submerged beneath the water and popped up again. My legs were beginning to cramp and I could barely feel them anymore. I tried to swim towards a ledge and grab on, but the current was too fast, and Vanderwood was dragging me down. Reaching for the side, I tried to grab something, anything. But my fingers slipped and I slid back into the water.
My vision was getting hazy. As my legs kicked violently I slowly became more and more submerged. Someone. I gasped for air. Anyone. My fingers clawed against the surface of the water as Vanderwood continued to drag me down. Help me. But it was too late. The sky seemed so far away as I was pulled deeper and deeper. Was it all a waste? I thought. Was any of this really worth it? My lungs screamed for air, a single wish. But I couldn't get there. I couldn't do anything.
But then I saw something. A single misshelved log floating on the surface of the water. And then I began to hope again. Every bit of me was screaming, crying in agony. Air, air, air. Live, live, live. I began to kick again, my arms reaching towards the surface. My chest felt like it was folding in on itself, breaking bone after bone, snapping tendon after tendon. And then I broke the surface. I took in deep, greedy gulps of air as I paddled towards the log and hauled myself on it. It sank a little but continued to float down the river. I pulled Vanderwood up beside me so he hung off the log and then coughed out water. I had done it. We were safe. Wearily, I looked behind us at the angry rapids and then let my head rest on side of the log. We were safe.
I don't know how long we were on that log. All I did know was that it was early evening by the time we reached the bottom. The river had emptied out into a small lake. Still using the log, I kicked us towards land. Within ten minutes or so, we reached the edge of the lake. With a groan, I hauled Vanderwood on the ground and then collapsed onto the mud and let myself catch my breath. We had both endured so much within the last day. I pushed myself up weakly and then undid the rope tying us together.
"Vanderwood." I muttered. He was silent and his was head tilted away from me. I checked his wound and winced. He must have lost so much blood. "Damn it." I muttered as I did my best to perform CPR. But he was unresponsive. I didn't stop.
"Wake up." I demanded quietly. Vanderwood didn't even flinch.
"WAKE UP!" I yelled. I couldn't lose him too. Not when it had been my fault that he had been in such danger. But Vanderwood was silent. He was gone.
"DAMN IT!" I yelled. Too tired to move, I fell beside him helplessly. My hands clenched the mud as I sobbed silently. I was so tired of it. So tired of the pain of losing someone. The world just couldn't give me a break. It was as if God slapped a target on my back, pointed at me, and had said "Yeah him, make him suffer." For all these years I had just considered Vanderwood to be an annoying superior. Someone who really just cared about their job, nothing else. I didn't realize that beyond a simple coworker, he was also a close friend.
"Crying about me princess?" I froze, and looked beside me, mouth open. Vanderwood coughed out water and smiled dryly.
"You-" I stopped abruptly as he began to cough again. After helping him sit up I stared at him, not sure if he was real.
"How are you still alive?"
"I don't know." Vanderwood admitted tiredly. "I thought that bear would kill us for sure."
"No not that. I thought you would have died from blood loss. We were in the water for ages."
"Didn't the bear jump in with us too?"
"Well...yeah. I ended up killing it though." Vanderwood raised an eyebrow.
"You killed a Black Bear? Maybe you should be in the Combat department."
"Stop talking." I ordered, bandaging up his wound again. "It's a miracle you've made it this far. But you can't die just yet." Vanderwood ignored me.
"I almost did. I could...feel it. The darkness closing up on me. Like when you're freezing to death, it just fades away, all of it. The pain, the struggle. I was tempted to take it. To just close my eyes and never open them again." Vanderwood grimaced. "But I can't leave you just yet. You have to save your girlfriend. How could I leave a fellow bro before they can do that?"
"What an idiot." I muttered.
"You're the idiot. Look at your face, you have mud all over it." I quickly rubbed my face with water.
"Hold on. You still have the files right?" I froze. I had forgotten about the files. I frantically searched my jacket and then I found them, wet, damp, and battered. But they were there.
"Thank god for that secret pocket." I muttered. I hauled Vanderwood on my back.
"Your ankle okay?" Vanderwood muttered.
"The pain has dulled." I admitted. "I think I'm so used to it by now that I can't feel it." As I stepped on it, a searing pain stabbed my ankle and I grunted. "Never mind."
"Hold on." Vanderwood whispered, looking around weakly. "This looks familiar. I think I walked past here while I was trying to find you." My heart skipped a beat as I looked back at him.
"Think you can remember the way back to your car?" After observing his surroundings one more time he nodded.
"That way." He pointed the left of me and I followed his directions. Within a few minutes, I could spot glimpses of the highway.
"I can't believe it." I whispered. "We made it. In one piece too."
"Speak for yourself." Vanderwood muttered. We continued forward until I could see my car. It was slammed into the tree, with branches poking through the front window. "What a driver." He scoffed. "My car is through there." Vanderwood pointed to the right and I walked through a small collection of trees before I saw a small blue car hidden from view.
"Do you have any first aid supplies in here?" I asked as Vanderwood crawled into the car.
"In the back." He replied tiredly. I grabbed them and then got into the driver's seat.
"Can you apply them yourself?" He nodded and grabbed the kit, opening it's contents slowly. After shutting the car door and putting on my seatbelt I started the car.
"We're going home.." I said softly. He smiled weakly.
"It's as if we never left."
Hope you all liked the long chapter! The fundraiser begins soon! Oh boy, that'll be fun to write. I also want to clarify once again that the perspectives of Seven and Kao are happening during different times. So when Kao and Jaehee are researching Mint Eye, Seven and V have just escaped from the hideout. But anyways, please review, follow and/or favorite! It all means a lot to me and thank you all for reading!