Gerbera :: 07
:: baekhyun x oc ;; espionage au ;; angst/fluff ::Â
It takes Kyungsoo’s team thirteen days before they finally track the location of the Round Table. That day when DK had attempted to ambush the Round Table meeting, they had been reverse-attacked, wiping out almost all of the skilled snipers and combaters that were in the assignment. Kyungsoo had been at the bases; with his team of back up ready to jump in should there be surprises. But they had been instructed firmly to not engage despite the clear deteriorating situation at hand, for fears of further compromise to the DK group. They had taken a large blow, and it was pure rage and grief that had fuelled the surviving men and women to continue their hunt for the Round Table. Unfortunately, Baekhyun had no tracker; Soohyun and Baekyhun were two of the few agents who never had a tracker inserted, with their destined roles for much more dangerous and high profile assignments where such a device would blow their covers. Kyungsoo had been made second in charge, and with the help of Baekhyun and Soohyun’s carefully collected intel from the years, had managed to track and decipher the message that had alerted the remaining Round Table members prior to the meeting, and thus avoid their ambush. Harnessing the coding from the message, Kyungsoo had managed to send a false message to the members, and gathered that a majority of them were in a safe house in Jeju Island. Using the code, Kyungsoo had set up a further meeting for the Round Table members to meet at said safe house.
Between his tireless days and nights planning and toiling, Kyungsoo made sure to check on Soohyun. She was still in the infirmary, and whilst they had managed to coax her to somewhat eat a decent amount on a daily basis, she was plagued by nightmares and panic attacks as she relived the moment of the bullet running through her body, and the subsequent sensation of blood rapidly draining out of her body as she lay hopelessly on the ground. It broke his heart to see his best friend in this state, her small frame becoming even smaller, and her eyes permanently pink from their overuse.
***
Kyungsoo is the one to find Baekhyun, and he is surprised by both how relatively unscathed he looks from physical injuries, but also how his gaunt face eerily matched that of Soohyun’s. He doesn’t ask Baekhyun what the Round Table have done to him, unsure whether he wants to find out about their forms of torture in detail. The mission is successful, and they take Hera amongst several others back to the DK headquarters for further questioning. The others are assassinated in the process, their bodies transported back to the South Korean government headquarters.
When Kyungsoo brings Baekhyun to the door leading to Soohyun’s room, Baekhyun finds himself rooted to the cold marble floor, his hands unable to bring themselves to the handle. Kyungsoo leaves him, understanding his need for space. Although Soohyun had never mentioned how she had come about losing her partner to the Round Table in the ambush, from how tormented the pair appeared Kyungsoo could only guess that the circumstances had been more than traumatic. For the top agents of their cohort to fail not only their assignment but also each other… Kyungsoo could only begin to imagine the emotions the two have had to live through for the past fortnight.
Perhaps that is why Kyungsoo was less than surprised when he came back in half an hour to find Baekhyun curled into foetal position, his body leaning on the still shut door, dried tears painting his face and expression unreadable. He hands clutching the small canvas of painted daisies.
***
The process continues, with Baekhyun coming back to lean against Soohyun’s door between meals and medical check-ups. Kyungsoo lets Soohyun know that their mission was a success, and that the Round Table were truly obliterated now. Soohyun doesn’t ask about Baekhyun, although Kyungsoo can tell from her eyes that she was desperate to find out. But until Baekhyun is able to open the door himself, Kyungsoo cannot bring himself to tell Soohyun that Baekhyun has been rescued.
It takes only two days for Soohyun to work out that Baekhyun was in the same building as her, in one of the oddest yet most spy-resque ways that Kyungsoo could have imagined. If the pair hadn’t been so clearly grim and depressed Kyungsoo may even have laughed at the situation. He had been visiting Soohyun that day, having almost walked over Baekhyun’s sleeping form. Soohyun hadn’t seen Baekhyun at the door (he himself had made sure of that), but she had smelt his familiar scent on Kyungsoo’s clothes, confronting Kyungsoo immediately about the situation. Desperate for some progress that would hopefully move the two along from this gridlock of a situation, Kyungsoo had told Soohyun everything: from how they had found Baekhyun to the way he had been clutching a painting at her door for days. Â
Soohyun remained mute for a long while after hearing this. She stays still for so long that Kyungsoo begins to worry. Then she smiles – small, but genuine, and Kyungsoo feels just a little more at peace than he’s been for the past few weeks. She had always been the cheerful, optimistic one in their friendship, and to see her smile gave him a glimpse of her old self.
