"Stop pretending you're dead, you blockhead or I'm really going to smack you with my sweater paws. I mean it, Jung Wooyoung."

Wooyoung opens one eye before a grin appears on his face when he spots Yeosang standing at the end of his bed, arm out as if ready to punch him.

"I swear you could've gotten a trophy for being the most brilliant actor out there, alongside Byul. You need to stop over-reacting in every situation! I really thought you were about to die." Yunho shouts at him, shaking his head.

"Jung Wooyoung," Seonghwa's voice comes next in the small room. "You could've told any of us that you wore the bulletproof vest. I was crying for nothing!"

"Guys, calm down," Wooyoung whines as he tries to sit up, but winces as pain shoots up at the wound under his bandaged shoulder. "Let me explain."

"Explain when I press my foot on your face!" Mingi huffs. "We were worried for nothing!"

"Oh come on," he bats his eyelashes. "You guys are worried not for nothing. I did get hurt and two bullets did get into my flesh."

"Yeah, but you were lying on the floor as if all four bullets hit any of your vital organs," Yunho rolls his eyes. "Two was lodged in the bulletproof vest, one hit your shoulder and one hit your leg. They weren't even deep wounds because the trajectory wasn't enough."

"Oh come on," Wooyoung shakes his body, whining again. "I really did feel like I was about to die. I couldn't move my arms because the bullet hit my shoulder and my blood felt like it was shooting out like it was a fountain. How should I know that it didn't hit any vital organs? I'm no anatomy expert like Seonghwa is. Plus, Dr. Kei did say I can't use my right hand and left leg too much for a while because of the bullets. So of course it felt like my life would end right there; it was nothing like I ever felt before. My whole life was flashing before my eyes before it turned dark."

"You made Lee Mikyung cry!" Jongho says furiously. "You know that she couldn't stop crying because she really thought you were about to die? She kept blaming herself that she caused you to get injured, and she fainted not long after. We had two people to bring to this hospital because you had to be a drama queen."

"But it does hurt a lot," Wooyoung pouts, trying to gain sympathy from any of them. It seems that their anger towards him keeping quiet about the bulletproof vest overpowered the sadness they felt when the bullets did hit his flesh, although the effect wasn't as bad as he acted out. "The blood was pouring out and my skin was all sticky with it. When Mikyung was holding me I really wanted to hug her back but my shoulder was hurting so I laid flat like a pancake."

Mingi slaps a hand to his forehead before slapping the back of Wooyoung's head, exclaiming, "That was for making every single one of us worried, and this," he slaps a hand to the latter's forearm, "is for making Mikyung cry and getting so worried for you until she fainted."

"Is she... okay?" he asks in a small voice.

"Oh now you're looking for her." Seonghwa puts his hands on his hips. "She woke up recently and she's waiting for you! That girl's scared out of her wits but she still wouldn't leave before she gets to see you!"

"Damn, stop shouting," Wooyoung says. "Stop being so mad."

"You little-" Yeosang starts, but stops when they hear a sniffle from the direction of the door and they awkwardly freeze in their spots as they see Lee Mikyung looking at them with an unreadable expression.

"Can I talk to him personally?" she asks calmly, even though her eyes and nose look like they've been painted with red.

"Oh- sure," Seonghwa mentions before pulling the rest of them with him, sidestepping Mikyung and glaring at Wooyoung to make sure that he won't mess it up again with her. "Both of you can talk all night, because Jung Wooyoung has a lot of explanation to do."

"Thank you," she replies as Jongho closes the door behind her, leaving the two of them in the room.

The temperature feels hotter and their heartbeats turn up louder as they notice how they are basically in a small closed-up space, when before this their interaction is still mainly dealt with carefully.

She walks towards the bed, where Wooyoung has sat up straighter, pressing his lips together as he sees her condition. She is still in the same dress that she wore when she sent Hwayoung home, but it's now decorated with dried mud and blood. Her hair is let down as her pink scrunchie is tied up around her wrist, the length of her straight hair reaching her waist.

As she stands next to the bed, there's a brief expression of anger as she lifts up her hand and punches Wooyoung's shoulder where it's bandaged. It's only a light punch as she cries and buckles to the ground, before Wooyoung hastily holds her so she won't sit on the floor, fighting the pain in his shoulder.

"You're so mean! I was so worried for you, I thought you were going to die," she says in between sobs. "I thought... I thought I wouldn't be able to say straight to you that I like you."

He grips her shoulders and lets her sit on the edge of the bed before he utters, "I don't deserve to be the person that you like. You... should see someone better, someone more worthy of you. I'm a bad person."

"If you're a bad person then why did you walk in there to save me, you idiot? Then being the idiot you are you got shot!"

"You don't understand, Mikyung. You don't understand what I do for a living, you don't know how many people I've killed."

"So... the sister of a mob boss doesn't deserve to be with a courier?" she asks.

He looks at her eyes, surprised that she knows about what her brother does. He is rendered speechless as he holds on to his bandaged shoulder, looking at her dumbly as he's unable to come up with a reply.

"My brother confessed to me right after we were brought here. He felt guilty for causing you to get hurt, and I..." she trails off, "I honestly don't know what to feel. I suspected this a long time ago but I never had the courage to confront him about it. And as for you and Hwayoung's uncles... I know that you must have been doing some kind of side jobs besides running the cafe. Only, just maybe, I never thought it would be... this."

"I'm not supposed to be in a relationship," he says directly. "That's the rule of my world."

She wrings her hand and nods. "Right. I guess that's why you've been avoiding me when I must have made it so obvious that I like you. A lot."

"Do you really?" he asks again. "Do you really like me, even after knowing what I do for a living?"

She doesn't hesitate as she sheepishly nods. "I saw you as Hwayoung's uncle first before I saw you as a courier."

He reaches out his arm and takes her hand in his, rubbing his thumb on the back of her palm. "I'd like to start again with you. I'm sorry for making you worried, I'm sorry for leaving you hanging after I got your number. Like Hwayoung said, I made you sad and I want to make it up to you. If you would let-"

He gets cut off as Mikyung presses her lips against his forehead in a swift kiss, before she blushes and blurts out, "I- uh- I... really have no excuse for that. I'm sorry."

He smirks. "Why are you sorry?"

Pulling a blushing Mikyung towards him, he places his hand on the small of her back and another cups her cheek before he kisses the tip of her nose. He kisses her lips next, taking his time as their lips latch onto each other's, smiling against the touch as he feels her gripping his arm. She's out of breath as he lets go of her, and he giggles when he sees that she is as red as a tomato.

"Do I really make you that flustered? You'll have to get used to it-"

He gets cut off again as she kisses him again, but this time she goes directly for his lips, catching him offguard. It takes a while for him to return the kiss as he circles his arm around her waist, pressing her body against his as they stay lost in each other. The pain in his shoulder and leg seem to be nonexistent as he pulls her onto the bed with him. Her left palm rests on his chest as she pulls away, pressing her lips together as it finally comes into her headspace what position they're in.

"Can you stay? I think my wounds will heal faster if you stay by my side," Wooyoung says.

"That's not how wound healing works," she says. "I'm sorry to break it to you but I think you'd need those biology textbooks back."

He laughs, because despite saying that she lies down next to him, making the single bed full as she drapes her arm across his stomach and rests her head on his unwounded shoulder.

No words are exchanged between them, but their feelings for each other are so clear that even their heartbeats seem to beat in synchronization.

---

Hongjoong's eyes flit back and forth between the two people in front of him, the atmosphere in the 24-hour fast food restaurant seemingly bringing in a tension that he never knew could be delivered by the sound of the sizzling hot pan searing burgers and the clicking of the soft drink machine.

After the fiasco at the warehouse and the news that everyone is somewhat safe and sound, he immediately calls Byul and Lee Minhyuk over to the restaurant. Lee Minhyuk was right - money wasn't the focus of what he's looking for after saving Mikyung. So right now, under the hanging lamp of a fast food restaurant booth, he wanted to deliver what he wanted from Minhyuk.

"I'm really sorry for what happened to your team member; I should have warned you earlier about what Ravn was capable of doing," Minhyuk starts the conversation, his eyes and body obviously tired even though it wasn't him on the battlefield. "It was both my fault my sister was kidnapped, and that Jung Wooyoung got hurt."

"No worries, Mr. Lee," Hongjoong replies, already taking a bite out of his burger before forcefully swallowing it, his tastebuds incapable of registering it as something delicious. "We confronted Wooyoung about that, and he promised not to over-react the next time he's on the field." He laughs, "Looks like your sister accepted his apology too, because Seonghwa found both of them drifted off to sleep on his bed. Innocently, of course," he adds when it seems that Minhyuk looks like his eyes are about to burst into flames.

"Right," he sinks back. "Maybe I really should stop being so protective of my sister; she's a full-grown adult, able to make her own decisions. I've always tried to take care of her so much because I still keep thinking that she's a baby who keeps falling down whenever she tries to walk. But if Jung Wooyoung is the person she likes..." He gives off a small smile, and in that moment all Hongjoong and Byul see is only a brother who wants the best for his sister. "He proved himself enough."

"I'm sure your sister and Wooyoung must be so happy to hear this from you," he says simply.

"If it's not the money, then what were you looking for when you offered your team to save my sister?" Minhyuk suddenly changes the topic, snapping both Hongjoong and Byul's attention towards him. Serenity lies on his face as the words tumble out.

"Time is running out for us," Byul chips in, and by the time she finishes elaborating, the fizz in her drink has disappeared.

"Have you heard of a complex called KTC, Mr. Lee? It's located on the Island of Wonderland, though," Hongjoong adds in a cynical voice, "it's far from being one."

Minhyuk stares at his food, nodding slowly. "I've heard of it, but I don't have so much details about it. Just bits of information here and there. It's another form of losing faith in humanity, as I've heard."

"A somewhat accurate description. You don't find humanity anywhere on that island, except for some, I guess. But even that doesn't last long because emotions," he repeats, "are the devil. You're not supposed to have them."

"And you're approaching me for this because...?"

"You have connections all over the country, people you make deals with even though the background information you have on them aren't so clear cut. Mr. Lee, you can be our connection to these people that we have been looking for."

"I don't understand," Minhyuk shakes his head. "What are you trying to deliver?"

Hongjoong takes out an envelope before taking out a simple list - names stacked on top of each other, their current occupations and security numbers. It's a list that includes top leaders, businessmen and high-ranking officials.

"What makes you think that a complex like KTC is able to run their operations without having the risk of being shut down, when everything going in there is unimaginably cruel? It's because they have these people behind them; protecting and funding them. In return, these people get to use agents like us. Doing dirty jobs for them, providing a nonstop cycle. In our lives as trainees, we were made to believe that the Bifidensis is the highest power there is. In reality, there are even people higher up, and that's why a complex like KTC can't simply be brought down by cutting off the top part. We have to solve this problem from the roots."

"So what do you want me to do? How can I even become a part of this... revolution you're trying to bring? This isn't something easy to do; you're talking about influential people who can turn your plan on yourself, making you regret that you ever thought of going against them in the first place."

"You're right; even now, we don't have that many people who will be in this call for help. It sounds like something impossible, but this is our lives that we're talking about; children who lost their parents because they were deliberately killed," he pauses, the sadness and regret like an iron fist around his heart, "and children who couldn't even learn the meaning of a normal life because they were taken away when they were so young. They are brainwashed and trained to become tools for the people; they believe this is their only purpose in life."

"Mr. Lee," Byul tries, as the mob boss seems hesitant as he hears their plea. "You have connections to them, albeit secretly. These 6 people on the list are those who are helping KTC to thrive, but their number is nothing compared to the thousands of trainees who are still on that island, living day to day hoping that they could escape the facility. We need you to help us to guide them to where they'll be gathered in one place. Easier to take them out if they're gathered."

"Mass assassination?" Minhyuk enquires.

"Mass uprooting," Hongjoong corrects him. "The last of the last, before we take the whole complex of KTC down. The Bifidensis always holds an annual meeting on random dates far from the Island of Wonderland, making it harder for people to track their activities. This year, they'll be doing it on the 10th of November, on a boat off the coast of Utopia district. The only thing that we need you to do is to help us gather these people on the list near that area, and we'll do the rest. After that, you won't have to worry about getting involved with us anymore."

Hongjoong slides the envelope towards him, tapping a finger on the seal.

Minhyuk takes it from him, biting his lower lip before nodding.

"Doing this can never repay you for how you helped save my sister, but I'll try my best. 10th of November, on a boat off the coast of Utopia district. These 6 people must be there by-"

"8 p.m. That's when our plan will commence."

"And your next plans are?"

Byul releases a heavy breath, the flashes of her life as Lee Eunbi on the island coming back to her as she's reminded of the box she had back home - one which contents would ultimately confirm their suspicions of her being Trainee #899.

"We'll go back to where we started; the island where we decided that humanity was just something that was made up. The island where people lived and died, the island where people survived and sacrificed. To face our nightmares once again," she supplements. "But there's no guarantee that we'll walk back out alive, because there are too many things left unsettled in there."

"For whom are you doing this for?" Minhyuk says generally, but it seems that he's directing it towards Byul, as if he knows.

Reluctance never appears as she gives a weak smile. "For my child, and for the man I never stopped loving. For these people who taught me what it means to appreciate myself even when things seem bleak." She gestures towards Hongjoong. "For them."

"Then you'll lose them," he decides. "And they'll lose you."

"There are some things you have to lose in order to gain something," she replies. "6 years ago I lost my life but I gave birth to a beautiful child. I was given a chance to start again and the man whom I thought had betrayed me was living and taking care of our child so carefully even when I wasn't around. I found out that these people made me believe that he didn't love me one bit and destroyed the faith I had in him. I feel like I don't believe in fate but it seemed that it was what brought me back to him and my child."

"So what you're planning to do is to leave without even telling them? The heartbreak that you would put them through," Minhyuk says, almost sounding upset. He clenches his fist but he doesn't know what to do with it.

"It's better for me to not let any feelings linger, and that's why I decided to cut it short. They don't know who I am, and it's all thanks to Hongjoong."

Hongjoong looks at her with pity in his eyes; the DNA test was tampered with - it wasn't even her DNA that was sent in the first place. The rest did not realize that she did not even swab her mouth properly, where the swab has already another person's DNA on it - Akira's. When the kit was sealed and sent off, it was Akira and Hwayoung's DNA that was being compared with each other's, and not Byul's. That was why the results never came in as a match.

"If they know who I am, I might change my mind and decide not to leave. It will be hard for me; my child has been clinging on to me even without knowing that I'm her mother... if she does, I won't want to let her go. 6 years ago was enough when she was taken away from me. I ruined this plan before because I never wanted to do anything with them, so I don't want this plan to fail again because of me."

"Is there really no other way? An alternate ending where each of you gets the happiness that you deserve?"

"In our dreams there is. It's a dream where each one of us are finally free from the Bifidensis and KTC, starting again as a happy family. But this is the reality, Mr. Lee. And as what we're taught, we come to believe that reality is always darker than fantasy. Fantasy is always where things seem bright and happy, while reality... this is where we are right now."