Super

65. a weapon in the wrong hands

"A brave attempt, but your efforts will always be futile when faced against the greater power," she said. Her chin was tilted up, eyes haughty, all politeness and charm gone. She looked broken, like a ballerina toy whose controls had been ripped out. "And unfortunately for you, your pesky interruptions have become too repetitive."

Jeonghan hesitated. He wanted to help, do something to get them away, but his fear was too great. Maybe he'd get caught, and then what? Besides, he was their last hope. He couldn't reveal himself until the very last moment when they needed him the most.

Collateral damage, he said to himself, then flinched. That was the excuse Irene had so often used to justify the people they had had to kill for the experiment.

"I would have liked for you to remain unhurt so you could witness the new world," Irene murmured, speaking to Taeyong. "In just a few minutes, the serum will be airborne, spreading to the very heart of the city and then to the world—but sadly, you will not be there to see it."

Every muscle in Jeonghan's body tensed as the hooded figure shoved the man. Taeyong fell to the ground, groaning. He might have gotten up too, but he looked like he had been dragged down one too many times—blood leaked from one corner of his mouth, and his face shone with sweat from the pain, every feature screwed up in pain.

He needed to help.

Jeonghan glanced around the room again, taking roll call. He had to do something, since the Supers looked like they had run out of time. Taemin, Mark, all the others were trapped. Even Ten, wearing a dark cap, was held with his front to the wall by the draped. And yet...

The hooded figure reached into his jacket to bring out a glinting object, and Jeonghan's frozen heart dropped another ten degrees. A gun.

"Au revoir, Lee Taeyong," Irene said with a wisp of a smile, her eyes glinting like the surface of the gun as she raised a hand, flicking it in the direction of the hooded man. "End him."

"No!" Mark cried, wrenching himself from the curtains.

As Jeonghan watched, the man raised the gun and pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

Irene's smile faltered. "Do your mundane weapons even work?" she hissed at the man.

"Nope," the hooded man said, and Jeonghan blinked. Then the figure pulled down his hood, revealing a wide grin and a very familiar head of bright blue hair. Taeyong #2 raised the gun, twirling it around his finger, and cocked an eyebrow. "You see, it's actually a toy."

"Bang?" Taeyong #2 suggested, wiping the back of his hand against his bloody mouth and smirking.

Irene went white around the mouth as Jeonghan's heart leaped with joy. "Clever trick," she said, her upper lip twitching into a snarl. "But you have done nothing but delay your death. I have the only means you need to get out and help your doomed squads, and I hold all of your friends captive. All seven of you—" She broke off, as if realizing something. Her eyes jumped around the room, brow slowly knitting, and Jeonghan couldn't suppress his smile. "Wait."

"Classic distraction tactics," Taeyong said cheerfully, melting back into one.

Ten—or the person he had first thought was Ten—raised his head, taking off the cap. "Watch your enemies, chérie," Shao said, her grin twisted from half her face being pressed against the wall.

As fast as lightning, the real Ten shimmered into existence on the opposite corner of the room. He grinned, holding up an old, rusty-looking key. "Thanks for this, by the way."

Jeonghan fell a surge of unfamiliar emotions. He recognized pride, of course, but there were other, fiercer emotions in the mix. His chest seemed to swell with feeling seeing the victorious grin on Ten's face, the light of the crackling flames reflecting in his bright eyes. Jeonghan felt like he was choking on his own emotions, like there were too many of them for his body to hold.

He pressed his hands against the wall, readying himself. The house seemed to respond to his touch, like it responded to it with a thrumming and vibration of its own. Jeonghan closed his eyes, feeling his muscles tighten from the effort, willing the building to bend to his will. And it did, the rigid structure obeying him, the long corridors twisting and the walls warping, listening to their other creator.

The curtains released the Supers and Shao, who grabbed the opportunity to escape, following Ten's lead. The walls spun—Jeonghan had his eyes closed, his focus singular, so he couldn't see much of what happened, but he felt the house change shape. Irene yelled indignantly, only then realizing that control was being ripped from her, and thrust her arms out trying to will the house back to her influence.

The ground spun underneath his feet as Jeonghan fought for control. He recognized the house as a living thing, just as he was, only a weapon when in the wrong hands. It could be just as helpful as it was harmful, and Jeonghan made the hallways align correctly, guiding the Supers to their exit safely.

The spinning stopped.

Jeonghan opened his eyes slowly, taking in the result of his hard work. His chest heaved from the effort as he took a step back and surveyed the shift in scene.

He was standing on the carpeted ground on the long body of the painted snake, surrounding by tall flames. High up on both sides were balconies, much taller than the balconies in the actual fire in the original Bae Manor, ten years ago. Irene stood behind one of the balconies to his right, looking shaken that the house had acted against her will. To his immediate right stood Kai.

He nodded at Jeonghan, looking grim and determined, and Jeonghan nodded back. An unspoken communication took place between them; an understanding of what needed to be done and a willingness to sacrifice anything to do it.

Then Jeonghan looked up to his left.

Taemin was standing behind the left hand of the railing, leaning against the column for support as he turned his gaze directly to Irene.

And he did not look good.

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i loved writing this chapter so much hnghh jeonghan is one my fav characters out of all i've ever written, and it felt amazing to finally be able to do him justice. how did you like the peek into his backstory? i could dedicate a whole separate book to him tbh

also psa: the updates will be following a tuesday-friday-sunday update pattern until the end. the timing of the updates will be around this time, so a heads-up if you want to be early!

love, 
Manx.