Chapter 13

The door was slightly ajar, and through the crack, Seungcheol could see two men standing in the middle of the room. They were discussing something, their voices low and harsh.

Seungcheol strained to hear what they were saying, his hand tightening around the handle of his gun. From what he could make out, they seemed to be waiting for someone to bring them money.

"When is that bastard gonna come and give us the money?" one of the men said. His voice was rough and angry, and he was pacing back and forth in agitation.

The other man, who was sitting casually in a chair, looked up with a sly smile. "Don't worry," he said. "He'll be here soon enough. And when he does, we'll get what we want."

"Yeah, you better be right," the first man grumbled, still pacing back and forth. "Coz I ain't waiting much longer."

The second man chuckled, seeming undisturbed by his partner's impatience. "Relax, man. This guy's good for the money. We just need to be patient for a little while longer."

"I'm tired of being patient," the first man groused. "I wanna get this over with and get our money, and get outta here."

The second man rolled his eyes, clearly unbothered by his partner's complaints. "Just trust me," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Everything's going according to plan. We'll get our money soon enough."

Seungcheol ignored them and looked closer, and he saw a small form huddled in the corner of the room. It was a child, a young boy, and he was trying to make himself as small as possible, as if trying to blend into the shadows.

The child's hands were bounded with wire, and he was shaking slightly, clearly terrified. Seungcheol couldn't make out his face, but he could tell that the boy was scared and alone.

His heart ached for the Haneul, who was clearly caught up in whatever dangerous situation this was. He wanted desperately to step in and protect Haneul, but he knew he had to wait for the right moment to act.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself. He couldn't let his emotions get the best of him. He had to stay focused on the task at hand. He signaled to his members again, silently indicating that he was going to make a move.

His members nodded again and readied their weapons. Seungcheol took one last deep breath, then gestured for them to follow him as he carefully pushed open the door and stepped inside the room.

The first man quickly turned towards the sound, his hand reaching for the gun he had tucked in his belt. The second man looked up with a sharp curse, startled by the sudden intrusion.

The small boy in the corner flinched, looking up with wide, terrified eyes as the two men turned towards Seungcheol and his members.

"Who the hell are you?" the first man demanded, his hand now firmly wrapped around his gun. "What do you want?"

Seungcheol held up a hand, signaling for his members to hold their fire. "We're just here to talk," he said, his voice calm and steady. "We're not looking for trouble."

The two men exchanged a look, their expressions wary but also slightly curious. "What do you want to talk about?" the second man asked, still lounging lazily in his chair.

Seungcheol's gaze flicked briefly to Haneul in the corner. "We've heard that you have something that belongs to us," he said, his voice steady and controlled.

The first man sneered, clearly unimpressed by Seungcheol's words. "Oh yeah? And what do you think we have that's yours?"

Seungcheol's eyes flicked again to Haneul, who was watching the scene with wide, scared eyes. "You have something that is very important to us," he said, his voice firm and authoritative. "And we're here to take it back."

The second man chuckled, looking amused by Seungcheol's statement. "Oh, really? And what makes you think we're just gonna hand it over to you?"

Seungcheol's expression darkened. "Because if you don't," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "We will take it by force if necessary."

The two men exchanged another look, weighing up their options. The first man's hand tightened around his gun, and the second man's lazy expression became slightly more alert.

The moment the first shot rang out, all hell broke lose. Seungcheol and his members immediately went into action, returning fire and taking cover as the room exploded into chaos.

The two men scrambled for cover, one diving behind a desk and the other throwing himself to the ground. The small child in the corner screamed in terror and curled up into a ball, trying to make himself as small as possible.

Seungcheol and his members quickly moved to corner the two men, their eyes fixed on their targets as they continued to fire. The air was filled with the sound of gunshots and the smell of gunpowder, filling the room with a thick haze of smoke.

The two men were clearly outmatched and outgunned, and they knew it. The first man was already bleeding from a wound in his arm, while the second man's expression was starting to show signs of panic.

Seungcheol gave a final signal to his members, and they simultaneously moved in to cover the two men from both sides. The men were trapped, with no way out and no chance of escape.

The two men realized they were cornered, and their expressions changed from defiant to resigned. They slowly raised their hands in surrender, dropping their weapons to the side.

The room fell silent as the last echo of the gunfire faded away. Seungcheol and his members kept their weapons aimed and ready, watching the two men closely in case they made any sudden moves.

The members captured them with their guns still in alert. Seungcheol lowered his gun and turned his attention went to the boy.

Seungcheol approached Haneul in the corner, moving slowly and gently so as not to startle him further. The boy flinched when Seungcheol got closer, looking up at him with wide, petrified eyes.

Seungcheol knelt down beside the child, keeping his movements slow and deliberate to avoid further scaring him. "Hey," he said, keeping his voice gentle and soothing. "It's okay. You're safe now."

He slowly reached out a hand, trying to show the child that he meant him no harm. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said, his voice quiet and reassuring. "Can I touch you?"

The boy nodded shakily as Seungcheol gently took the child's wrists, shocked to see that they had been bound with a tight wire. "Hold still," he said softly, gently beginning to untie the wire.

The child remained still, his eyes still wide and scared as Seungcheol worked to free his hands. The anger and disgust coiled in Seungcheol's chest as he saw the red, chafed skin on the child's wrists.

Once the wire was untied, the child pulled his wrists away, rubbing them gently to soothe the pain. Seungcheol could see the marks left behind on the child's skin, and it only served to anger him further.

Seungcheol took a deep breath, trying to keep his anger under control. He turned back to Haneul, his voice gentle but firm. "Can you tell me your name?" even though he knew.

The child shook his head, still too scared to speak. Seungcheol could see the fear in his eyes, and he knew he had to be patient and gentle with him.

"It's okay," he said, keeping his tone soothing. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to. But can you nod or shake your head? Can you tell me if you're hurt anywhere?"

The child hesitated for a moment, his eyes scanning Seungcheol's face as if trying to determine if he could be trusted. Finally, he gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.

"You're hurt?" Seungcheol looked him over carefully, trying to spot any injuries. The child shifted a bit, pulling his shirt up slightly to reveal a large bruise on his side.

Seungcheol's heart thumped in his chest at the sight of the bruise, rage burning in his veins. He clenched his jaw, trying to keep his emotions under control as he looked back at the child.

"Can I take a closer look?" he asked, his tone gentle and careful. The child hesitated for a moment, but then gave a small nod, allowing Seungcheol to lean in closer and examine the bruise.

Seungcheol gently lifted the Haneul's shirt up further, revealing the full extent of the bruise. It was a deep, angry shade of purple, and it looked painful to the touch.

Seungcheol took a deep breath to steady himself, anger and anguish warring in his chest. He hated seeing children being harmed like this, and knowing that whoever had done this was still out there, free and unpunished, only fueled his anger further.

He looked down at the child, his heart aching for the pain and trauma he had been through. "Does it hurt?" he asked gently, careful not to touch the bruised area.

The child nodded, his eyes welling up with tears. Seungcheol could see the pain and fear etched on his face, and he felt a strong protective instinct well up inside him.

"It's okay," he said, his voice still gentle. "I'll make sure you get the help you need. Can you tell me who did this to you? Did one of those men hurt you?"

The child looked away, clearly hesitant to speak. Seungcheol knew he was traumatized and scared, and he had to be careful with how he approached him. He took a deep breath, trying to stay patient and calm.

"It's okay," he repeated, keeping his voice soothing. "You don't have to say anything you don't want to. But I need to know who did this to you so I can make sure they can't hurt you again."

The child shook his head, his eyes darting around the room as if he was afraid that someone was going to come and hurt him again. Seungcheol could see the terror in his eyes, and he knew that the child was too scared to talk.

He wanted to press further, to get the information he needed, but he also didn't want to add to the child's trauma. He had to tread carefully, being mindful of how the child was feeling.

Seungcheol sat back on his haunches, his heart heavy with the realization that he wasn't going to be able to get information from the child right now. His mind was racing as he tried to figure out his next move.

He looked over at the men his members were holding captive, his anger flaring again as he remembered the child's bruised and battered body.

He wanted to get answers from them, but he knew he had to prioritize the child's safety first. He had to get him somewhere safe and get him medical attention. He turned his attention back to the child, his mind made up.

"You are Haneul right?" Seungcheol softly spoke not to scare him further.

The child's eyes widened in surprise, clearly taken aback by Seungcheol's use of his name. He looked up at Seungcheol with a mix of surprise and wariness, still unsure if he could trust him.

But after a brief moment of hesitation, the child gave a small nod, confirming that he was indeed Haneul.

Seungcheol felt a pang in his chest at the his response, his heart aching for all that Haneul had been through. He knew he had to get him out of there and to safety as soon as possible.

Seungcheol watched as his members dragged the two men out of the room, making sure they were handcuffed and properly secured. He could hear the sound of them struggling and cursing, but he ignored it, his attention fixed on Haneul.

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