The sound of hurried footsteps broke through the tense silence, growing louder as someone rushed toward them. A man slid into view, gun in hand, lowering himself quickly to their level as he checked on them.
"Are you both alright?" Wukyeong's voice rang out, laced with genuine concern.
For a brief moment, neither of them responded. Soo-hyun slowly lifted his head and froze. His eyes widened, shock and disbelief crashing over his expression. "You...?!"
"Hello there, Director Je. We meet again," Wukyeong greeted with a sheepish smile as if the situation weren't soaked in blood and chaos.
Almost instantly, Soo-hyun's expression hardened. His brows drew together, irritation flashing across his face. "What are you doing here?" He demanded, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous tone.
It was clear he didn't like him—not after what had happened earlier. The tension between them thickened, almost suffocating but Wukyeong simply endured it with an awkward smile, silently taking the hostility. The way Soo-hyun stared at him felt sharp enough to cut.
Before the moment could stretch further, Kiyonari spoke up, his tone starkly different almost relieved. "Mr. Wukyeong...!"
Soo-hyun's gaze snapped toward him, disbelief written all over his face.
"Ah..." Kiyonari let out a faint gasp as realization hit him. "He's not with them, Director."
Soo-hyun's eyes narrowed. "How can you be sure?" He barked. "Do you know him?"
"No," Kiyonari replied shortly.
Soo-hyun blinked. "No?"
"Eh?... I mean, yes. I guess."
Soo-hyun's frown deepened, confusion piling onto his irritation. What the hell does that even mean?
Meanwhile, Wukyeong stood quietly off to the side, watching the exchange unfold without intervening. He wasn't sure if stepping in the would help or just make things worse. Soo-hyun's gaze then drifted to the lifeless body sprawled across the bloodstained floor before returning to Wukyeong.
Straightening himself slightly, he fixed him with a sharp look.
"Why?" He asked.
There was a brief pause.
"Why did you do it?"
Wukyeong perked up at the question, then let out a small wry grin. "I'm really not supposed to tell you," he admitted lightly. "My boss might kill me."
[What did you say? Careful now, brat.] A low, growling voice suddenly crackled through his earpiece.
Kiyonari quickly cut in, clutching his injured arm. "He's a detective, sir. That's why you can rest easy."
"Detective?" Soo-hyun echoed, blinking.
"That's right," Wukyeong confirmed, straightening slightly. "I'm working undercover right now, so I had no choice but to act like I was with them." His tone was careful and measured.
He gave a small, apologetic smile. "And I apologize if I scared you, Director Je. That wasn't my intention."
Soo-hyun exhaled sharply, his shoulders easing just a fraction, perhaps from relief, though his pride refused to show it. He glanced at Wukyeong with a flat look.
"Just so you know," he said dryly, "I wasn't scared of you."
Wukyeong tilted his head. "Oh?"
"You creep me out. And you're acting kind of suck, which only made your overall cover up weird and creepy."
There was no hestitation—just blunt, unfiltered honesty. Wukyeong could only let out an awkward sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.
Yeah... I'm certain that he definitely hates me, he thought.
"Anyways, we have to get moving now," Wukyeong said, his tone sharpening with urgency as he cast a quick glance down the corridor. "The others definitely heard those gunshots. If we stay here any longer, we're going to have a lot of company."
Kiyonari gave a small, tense nod, steadying himself despite the throbbing pain in his injured arm.
"This way," Wukyeong added, already turning on his heel. "Follow me."
*****
Without wasting another second, he took off down the opposite end of the hallway. Soo-hyun and Kiyonari quickly followed, their footsteps echoing against the walls as they ran. The air felt tighter with every second, the threat of approaching guards looming behind them. They moved swiftly, weaving through corridor, desperate to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the chaos they had just left before reinforcements could close in and cut off their escape.
As the three of them rushed through the corridor in search of an escape, the sharp echo of approaching footsteps suddenly rang out a ahead of them. Wukyeong immediately caught on, his instincts kicking in. His gaze darted around before he spotted a nearby exit. Without hesitation, he pushed open the staircase door and ushered them inside.
Kiyonari staggered in after them, his back hitting the wall as he slumped against it. Blood continued to pour from his injured arm, droplets staining the floor beneath him. He let out a low grunt, panting from both the pain and the exertion.
"Mr. Soo, you're bleeding a lot," Soo-hyun said, voice laced with concern, the tension in it was impossible to hide.
"I'm fine... don't worry, Director," Kiyonari hissed through clenched teeth. But his expression betrayed him, brows were tightly drawn and cold sweat trickled down from his forehead to his neck.
"What do you mean you're fine?!" Soo-hyun snapped, his voice rising. "You're obviously not. Stop pretending like it doesn't hurt."
"... And you're in pain because of me." His words trembled as they left him.
He could've just left me alone. But he chose to protect me despite the odds. I just can't...
His eyes wavered, pupils shaking slightly as emotion flickered across his face, a rare unguarded expression of distress. The sight of Kiyonari in pain clearly unsettled him more than he wanted to admit.
Kiyonari blinked, momentarily stunned. His eyes widened faintly as he took in Soo-hyun's expression, caught off guard by the vulnerability he had never expected to see.
"Director Je..."
Soo-hyun frowned deeply before abruptly tearing a strip of fabric from his own sheer clothing. "Give me your arm."
"Eh?"
"We need to do something to stop the bleeding. Or you'll die."
Kiyonari hesitated. But as his gaze drifted toward Soo-hyun, he suddenly became acutely aware of what the man was wearing.
His breath hitched.
Lingerie?! His eyes bulged out from their sockets.
Ahhh! I just realized now but... why is he wearing such a thing?!
His thoughts spiraled from a split second as his eyes lingered, then he quickly snapped himself out of it.
Get a grip... don't think about anything funny right now, idiot.
He shut his eyes tightly for a moment, then shrugged off his coat. Turning slightly, he draped it over Soo-hyun's shoulders, covering him.
Soo-hyun glanced at him, confused. "What are you...?"
"You... need to cover up, sir," Kiyonari muttered, wincing softly.
[??]
"Your body is exposed right now."
And I can see everything, he added internally embarrassed.
Soo-hyun fell silent. A faint flush crept up his cheeks, spreading down toward his neck. He had been running around with his skin exposed. Kiyonari caught a glimpse of it.
From the side, Wukyeong cleared his throat. "Ahem. I can help you patch him up."
"N-No. I can do it."
Without sparing him another look, Soo-hyun gently took Kiyonari's arm and carefully wrapped the torn fabric around the wound, tightening it just to slow the bleeding. His movements were precise, cautious. When he finished, he exhaled softly, relief easing some of the tension in his shoulders.
Wukyeong watched with a faint grin, but Soo-hyun only shot him a brief unimpressed glance.
[...]
As Wukyeong turned his attention elsewhere, he suddenly felt a piercing stare. Looking back, he found Kiyonari watching him with a cold expression and eyes sharp enough to cut.
"W-What?" Wukyeong let out a small, nervous laugh. "Why the cold shoulder, Mr. Soo?"
Kiyonari's voice came out low and serious. "Careful where you linger your eyes, Detective."
"My eyes?" Wukyeong blinked, confused.
For a moment, he didn't understand. Then soon realization dawned on him. Ah... I see.
A small chuckle escaped him. "No, Mr. Soo. I already saw it, but I don't have any intention of doing anything. So you can relax—"
He cut himself off abruptly.
Kiyonari's expression had darkened even further, his brows drawn tight with unmistakable annoyance. Wukyeong swallowed, a quiet feeling telling him not to push his luck any further. Unless he wanted to walk out of this situation with battered face.
*****
Later, they pushed their way up to the higher floor, abandoning any thought of escaping through the ground level. It would've been suicide, guards would swarm them within seconds. Instead, Soo-hyun proposed his own plan: different route like the rooftop.
Wukyeong agreed almost immediately. It was a smart move. The rooftop access wasn't like the other exits, it required a security code to unlock, one that only employees were supposed to know. If they could get there first, they'd have a clear advantage.
Without wasting time, the three of them bolted up the stairwell, their footsteps pounding against the concrete as they climbed higher and higher. The tension built with every flight, the threat of pursuit never far behind. When they finally reached the top, Wukyeong rushed to the door, fingers moving quickly over the keypad as he punched in the code.
Ding!
A soft chime sounded and the lock clicked open.
"Move," he urged, pushing the door wide.
They stepped out onto the rooftop, the open air hitting them all at once. Wukyeong immediately pulled the door shut behind them. It locked automatically with a solid click, sealed tight. Without the code, no one else was getting through.
For the first time since the chaos began, they allowed themselves to breathe.
"We're safe here now, guys," Wukyeong said, already pulling the radio phone out from his pocket. "I called for backup earlier, so we're good."
Kiyonari let out a long exhausted sigh, nodding faintly as he tried to steady himself.
Wukyeong brought it close to speak. "We're on the rooftop. I have the target with me, over."
Static crackled.
"... I repeat," he continued, voice firm, "I have the target secured. We're at the rooftop, over."
A response came almost instantly.
[Copy that. Rescue is on the way.]
Wukyeong swallowed, relief washing over him. "They're on their way now."
Thank goodness! He thought to himself, I thought I was gonna have a hard time connecting to them. Yun suddenly got disconnected.
But just as the tension began to ease, heavy impacts slammed against the metal door.
BANG! BANG!
All three of them jolted.
"They got here fast," Soo-hyun muttered, eyes narrowing toward the entrance.
"No worries," Wukyeong said, a faint, almost amused smiled forming on his lips. "They won't be able to get in anyway."
Then came the unmistakable sound of buttons being pressed from the other side.
Kiyonari stiffened. "They know the code." he said sharply. "What do you mean they won't get in?"
Wukyeong's grin widened, slow and confident. "Trust me, Mr. Soo. They can try all they want, but that door's not goin' to budge... not even once."
A second passed. The door remained firmly shut.
"See?" Wukyeong said, a hint of pride in his voice.
A year of working undercover had its perks. He had earned their trust—learned their systems—more importantly, found the perfect opportunity to quietly change the rooftop access code.
"It was a piece of cake, really," he added with a smug smile.
Kiyonari blinked, then let out a small breath, shaking his head faintly. That scared me for a moment...
Not even a second had passed since the tension at the door settled when another presence emerged, far more dangerous than the ones outside. From the shadows of the rooftop, a figure stepped forward.
It was Jisung.
The dim rooftop lights caught just enough of him to reveal his bruised, battered face, streaked with dried blood. Despite the injuries, there was nothing weakened about the way he carried himself. He staggered silently as he walked, one leg dragging just a bit. Yet the gun in his hand remained steady, aimed directly at Soo-hyun and Kiyonari.
Both of them froze.
"What do we have here?" Jisung drawled, his voice laced with mockery, though his breathing was uneven.
"Jisung..." Soo-hyun muttered under his breath, his tone low and tense.
"How'd you get here?" Kiyonari demanded, his eyes narrowing.
Jisung's lips curled into a crooked grin. "I'm always two steps ahead of you idiots," he said, letting out a cold chuckle. "You really thought that after almost beating me to death, I'd just let you walk away?"
His expression darkened, amusement fading into something dangerous.
"No." His gaze sharpened. "I owned this hotel," he continued, voice dripping with authority. "It's only natural that I know everything that goes on here."
Kiyonari's jaw tightened, veins rising along his temple as he clenched his teeth.
"Oh, but look at you two..." Jisung went on, eyes flicking between them. "A loyal secretary, risking everything to save his precious Omega master." His smirk widened. "How touching.
Soo-hyun's expression hardened, disgust flashing across his face.
"You got lucky, Soo-hyun," Jisung added. Then his eyes slid toward Kiyonari. "And as for that loyalty of yours, Mr. Soo... I think you deserve a reward. Something fitting for your dedication."
A metallic click echoed in the air as he raised his gun, aiming squarely at them.
"I'll make sure to send what's left of you to the Je family," he said coldly. "I'm sure your sister would love to receive your ashes, Soo-hyun."
His gaze shifted again. "And to your family too, Mr. Soo."
Kiyonari stepped forward without hesitation, positioning himself in front of the Omega, arms slightly outstretched despite his injury.
Soo-hyun's eyes flickered toward him.
Then Wukyeong stepped in, gun raised and aimed straight at Jisung.
"Drop your weapon!"
Jisung glanced at him, unimpressed. "Ah... so you're the traitor," he said lazily. "What was your name again?"
"I said, drop your gun. Now!"
But instead of complying, Jisung fired. The shot missed, grazing past Wukyeong as he moved.
BANG!
"Right, right..." Jisung muttered mockingly. "It was Do Wukyun or something..." He clearly had no intention of surrendering.
Wukyeong's expression hardened. Without another word, he lunged forward, tackling Jisung to the ground. The two crashed hard onto the rooftop, the gun clattering aside as Wukyeong forced Jisung face-down, wrenching his arms behind his back.
"Let go of me!" Jisung snarled, struggling violently.
"Shut up!" Wukyeong snapped, pinning him down with force. "You're under arrest for human trafficking, illegal drug distribution, and running an underground auction ring. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in court!"
"Let go of me, you bastard!" Jisung spat, thrashing. "I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you!"
Even pinned, his glared burned with pure hatred as he looked toward Soo-hyun and Kiyonari. The distant thrum of rotor blades cut through the night. A helicopter appeared overhead, its lights sweeping across the rooftop as it descended.
Rescue had finally arrived. Kiyonari let out a long, quiet breath, the tension draining from his body as relief washed over him.
It's over... at last.
A line of thoughts. He closed his eyes and a soft sigh of relief escaped his lips.