Chapter 123

Tightening the bandage on his arm with a last pull, Shun pushes the doors from the control room open with his shoulders. He strolls inside the bustling room with white walls and grey ceilings wearing his usual cooled and preserved expression.

Rich tapping noises of keys and fused voices greet him—an intense and heavy work environment currently far too disastrous than he had foreseen.

The depressing atmosphere arises worse and mournful.

It was suffocating—pitiful cries gradually leaking from the restrain room, driving everyone to shut their eyes and hide their bent heads behind their monitor every minute after hearing its shrieking screams.

The dark entities have been wandering around the quarter grounds like lost souls, and may heaven forbid them to rampage elsewhere than here.

Certainly, the day has perished with nothing given but unalloyed disappointment.

The gloomy hours still appeared to be spinning everyone's head at every condemned second they had left.

It was only a concerning amount of time before the bleak darkness would swallow their life as well. Furthermore, they could only grieve, regret, and pay amends to their master for failing to protect his one beloved.

His only beloved.

He locks the edges of the strap with the spare pin clipped between his lips, and only then did he start jogging towards his brother's side of the monitor.

"Any news?"

Shu presses a few keys on his keyboard, and his screen forwards to the subsequent route. He shakes his head and groans. "We don't have." He nearly touched the bleeding bandage on his forehead.

Shun skimmed his eyes around the chaos weighing inside the control room. Not a body is spared from injury on sight.

For they were all aware of how forgiving of a consequence this was to receive.

The master is furious, but sparing his irreverent people for the sake of finding their savior faster has driven every single beating heart within this room to grief.

They don't deserve such mercy.

He turns to his brother. "What the fuck do you mean by that?" He whispered, displeased.

It has been hours--No! Half a day has already passed.

Shu sinks his shoulders in his seat. He was pale from the anxious hours as his eyes looked up at his brother before the intercom called out for his signal and name.

"Clearing for the next route is approved."

"Roger that, team H6 is now heading to Yokohama."

Shun glimpsed immediately at the coordinates and familiar route map on his brother's monitor, and only then did he realize their gruesome situation.

"He's not in Korea?"

They monitored and watched how the tracking signal moved daintily on screen.

"If the little master was, Vren wouldn't be in death's bed at this moment," Shu replied.

"Sir!"

The control room lulls down at the loud bang of the control room door. A panting Zien could be seen with a bleeding nose and exploded pair of lips. Everyone took a moment to sympathize with how wicked of a blow it was.

Did he lose a tooth? Like Devin who lost two?

"Sir!" Zien leans and rests his shoulder against the doorway while catching his breath. "The restrain room . . . it's empty."

Shun and Shu looked at each other in silence.

Shun flees the control room and hastily traces the long corridor with Zien limping behind his back. Ten minutes later, after they arrived at the infamous room, he immediately dialed his brother's phone.

It was indeed empty.

Shu picks up his call shortly.

"He found him."

Shun breathes before running towards the other direction, "Track the master's coordinates."

______________________

"Ahjussi, are you sure this is safe?"

Jin glimpsed half-heartedly down at Joe ahjussi after the man helped him climb up the thickest wood branch he has ever seen.

They journeyed their way and arrived luckily safe at the last balcony, and he did not ever reckon the only way to escape was to climb down from this tree—from this tree branch that grew further beyond the edge of the cliff.

How much crazier could this day possibly get?

"The entrance and exit are heavily watched."

Joe ahjussi patted his shoulder before adding his comfort.

"With your weight, this tree will hold you well, and perhaps refraining from looking down would do, no?"

Which, of course, did not fan down his worry and anxiety.

Jin hugged the branch in his chest tightly.

Not even an inch.

However, it was rather late for ahjussi to say that when his large eyes were now gauging on the rushing river hundreds of feet beneath him.

Sweet heavens . . .

He glances at the big murky tree behind him, whose roots run deep to the ground beside the giant walls of the house and the cliff.

"Remember, if you manage to get down, run elsewhere from here."

Jin gulped when he felt the branch sway and the leaves gushing above him. "Y-Yes."

That's if he manages to not fall off from here.

"Ahjussi . . ." Jin calls.

Joe ahjussi turns to him.

"Are you coming with me?"

Joe puts on a small smile on his lips before shaking his head and replied, "No, lad. I'm afraid, you'll be on your own from here."

What?

Jin processed what he just said.

Slowly he begins to accept his situation. It was absurd. After leaping eleven balconies then he has to climb down this soaring tree. But he might as well be dead after running off to who knows where and having his body devoured by a wild animal hiding behind these trees.

"Ahjussi! Won't you tell me where to go?"

Joes shakes his head and gives his head a small pat. "Hide wherever place that is safe. He will find you."

He? Who?

"Go." Ahjussi whispered, "They have found out you escaped. I must go now to inform the second master of your release."

After hearing the grave news he had been expecting, Jin was left with no choice but to nod and agree to parting ways.

They were running out of time.

Joe ahjussi left him, leaped his way back to the first balcony, and entered the room from there. No longer wanting to be hanging off the edge by some creaking branch, Jin starts to move as well.

I must not dwell on it. I must not dwell on it.

He repeats the mantra over his head a few more times as he slowly slides against the swaying branch.

Little by little, Jin continued gliding lower until he finally felt the tree's body at his feet. After counting from one to three, he lifts himself.

His hand grabbed the nearest branch he could find and held on to it as he turned and proceed to the lower branch on the other side.

Almost there . . .

He held his breath.

Unfortunately, his silk socks were no help and to his horror, he slips.

And the jinx of being such a heavy-handed overwhelmed him.

He watches the branch he has been holding drift farther away above him.