WHISPERS OF BETRAYAL: THE PATH TO BOSEONG

Meanwhile, at Yon’s house, the atmosphere was unexpectedly light-hearted given the circumstances. Yon, with a whistle of pride, unlocked the front door and swung it open, his voice filled with excitement as he gestured toward the house.

“This here is my house~” Yon declared, stepping inside with a grin plastered across his face.

In-Ha, Sae Joon Hyun, and Eunhye followed closely behind, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. It was clear that Yon was trying to make the situation seem less tense, perhaps as a way to distract from the underlying danger.

Yon didn’t waste any time. “That room is where we’ll experiment—the lab. And that one there, the one at the end of the hall, is where we keep all the records.” He pointed at a series of rooms, their wide-open doors revealing little more than rows of shelves and machines. They all looked identical, but there was an unsettling familiarity to them.

Sae Joon Hyun, ever the strategist, quickly assessed the situation and turned to In-Ha and Eunhye. “Okay, me and Eunhye will go through the files in the records room. You and In-Ha can head to the lab.” His voice was matter-of-fact, but there was an edge to it, an urgency that lingered in his words.

After Yon moved further down the hall, Sae Joon Hyun leaned in close to In-Ha, whispering in her ear with a tone so soft it almost blended with the background hum of the house. “If this guy—Yon—acts any funny, kick him hard and get out of there. Got it?” His words were clear, but there was a certain tension in the way he said it, a silent warning.

In-Ha nodded, a slight snicker escaping her lips as she caught the implication. She gave him a subtle thumbs-up before the two parted ways, heading in opposite directions.

In the records room, Sae Joon Hyun took charge, his eyes scanning the many shelves lined with files. The place was quiet except for the occasional sound of pages being turned and the soft shuffle of feet on the floor.

"I’ll take the shelves at the back, Eunhye," Sae Joon Hyun said, his voice steady but calm.

“Roger that,” Eunhye replied, her tone robotic, almost detached. She was losing herself in the monotony of the task.

Sae Joon Hyun snickered under his breath as he glanced over at her. “Sheesh,” he muttered to himself, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. His attention quickly returned to the files.

The hours stretched on as they meticulously went through each folder, flipping through the pages one by one. The more Sae Joon Hyun read, the more his disbelief grew. The reports were a strange mix of dangerous, borderline fictional concepts. Human endurance, strength enhancements, all without food or any lasting side effects—yet the more he read, the more it seemed like a twisted experiment that had spiraled far beyond what it should have been.

The clock ticked away, each second dragging on as the weight of the words settled in his mind. It was clear that whoever had created these studies had put a great deal of effort into making them sound plausible, but there was something undeniably off about it all.

Eunhye, on the other hand, was beginning to lose her focus. She’d been reading for what felt like an eternity, and the content, though significant, wasn’t enough to keep her engaged. She sat back, rubbing her temples in frustration. “There’s so much here,” she muttered, her voice tinged with weariness as she slouched in one of the blue reading chairs next to the brown polished shelves.

Sae Joon Hyun looked up from his own pile of papers. “Yeah? What did you find?”

Eunhye sighed deeply, her gaze still lingering on the papers in front of her as she began to list off the findings. “A lot of stuff. And what you said—everything about enhancing human endurance and strength without food and no side effects. They tried synthesizing artificial hormones. And there’s a lot about artificial bacteria, viruses…” Her voice trailed off, the weight of the discoveries sinking in.

Sae Joon Hyun’s eyes widened slightly. “I found the same things. It’s no doubt everything started from that tablet.” He leaned back, looking over the papers again with a sense of grim determination.

Eunhye looked up, her brow furrowing. “Yeah, but I didn’t find anything about that… the tablet in particular, I mean.”

“Hm. Me neither,” Sae Joon Hyun replied, his tone thoughtful but with a hint of frustration.

Eunhye shook her head, exhaling sharply. “Great. So, we’re still in the dark about that tablet.”

Sae Joon Hyun didn’t respond immediately. After a few moments of silence, he sighed. “Shall we go through once more?”

Eunhye shot him a look—sharp and running with the slightest hint of annoyance. Her eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms. “Ugh. Suuureee. So convenient~”

Sae Joon Hyun grinned, shrugging innocently. “Dude. You gotta pull my leg like that? What choice do we have? Let’s just check if we missed anything and leave.”

Eunhye groaned, but she didn’t argue. She gave a reluctant nod and grabbed another set of files. “Fine. But this better be the last time,” she muttered, her voice tinged with frustration.

The hours stretched on as they scoured the papers one last time, both aware that the answers they sought were somewhere within these documents—if they could only find them. Despite the tension in the air, they couldn’t help but wonder just how much more they could uncover before the darkness that surrounded them caught up with them.

The door to the lab creaked as Eunhye swung it open, her grip tight on the handle as she entered the room. Her eyes immediately scanned the scene, and her heart sank. In the middle of the room sat two figures—In-Ha and Yon—both slumped in their chairs, their heads hanging low. Their faces were washed in an unnatural shade of white, drained of all color and life. Their eyes were unfocused, staring blankly at the tiles beneath them as if their minds had completely surrendered. The air in the room felt heavy, suffocating, like it had absorbed all the defeat and frustration of the past few hours.

“In-Ha? Miss. In-Ha?” Eunhye called out, her voice soft at first, but as she got no response, she moved closer, almost clinging to the doorframe as she fretted over the two of them. “What happened? Yon?” Her voice trembled slightly, worry creeping into her chest as she took in the almost lifeless expressions on their faces.

In-Ha let out a long, tired sigh, breaking the silence that had settled around them. “Gosh... I didn’t find it. This is not it.” Her voice cracked with frustration, and her words hung in the air as if they had no strength left behind them. “The bacteria, the virus, whatever it is that I found in the creatures... it’s not here.”

Eunhye blinked, taking a moment to process the information. Her heart dropped further as she tried to make sense of what had happened. “I don’t get it. We made that vial here,” Yon said, his voice barely above a whisper. She glanced at Yon, hoping for some explanation. “Sample drafts should still be here, right?”

Yon raised his head slightly, his eyes dull and distant, as if the weight of their failure was pressing down on him. He looked at Eunhye, but it was clear that his mind was still reeling from the shock. “Yeah... but we took everything with us here because we didn’t want anyone to come across our invention,” he explained, his voice flat. It felt as if even the simplest of words had become too difficult to articulate.

Sae Joon Hyun, who had been quietly listening to the exchange, stepped forward, his voice calm but tinged with concern. “Now what? But wait... didn’t you like, shift?” He looked at Yon, trying to make sense of the situation.

Yon nodded, the motion slow and deliberate. “Yeah. But everything we took was important. My father’s company’s manager double-checked everything before we left, Hyeong.” There was an undertone of finality in his words, as if he was trying to convince himself that nothing could have gone wrong.

Sae Joon Hyun furrowed his brow, his eyes narrowing in thought. The gears in his mind began to turn, and an uneasy feeling spread through his chest. He glanced at Yon, then at In-Ha, before responding. “That’s... odd.”

“Why?” Yon asked, genuinely confused, his voice strained with fatigue.

Sae Joon Hyun’s expression hardened, his eyes flickering with suspicion. “Yon... this was a very important invention. No, rather, a very dangerous one. You and your father could have started a race of bionic humans if you wanted to with this... Such an important and rare invention, and they let you take it home? Just like that?” His words were filled with disbelief, and the weight of his suspicion began to weigh heavily on the air between them.

Yon blinked, trying to process what was being said. “Eh?” was all he could manage, his confusion deepening as he struggled to make sense of it.

Sae Joon Hyun’s eyes narrowed further, his tone sharp. “My point is... I highly doubt the company would just let something like this slip through their fingers. It’s weird, but what if they swiped it clean without your father realizing?”

Yon stared at him, trying to piece together the implications of what was being suggested. “Even then... what can we do now, Hyeong?” His voice wavered, the weight of their helplessness hanging in the air.

Sae Joon Hyun straightened, his mind already moving forward, plotting a course of action. “We go to Boseong.”

“Excuse me?” Yon blinked in disbelief, not sure if he had heard correctly.

“We’re making a detour,” Sae Joon Hyun replied, his voice unwavering. “We’re driving there, day or night.”

Yon hesitated for a moment, the tension in the room palpable. “Ah. Wait! Hyeong!” he called out, standing up from his chair. “Shouldn’t we wait for Jay and his team? Let’s see what they found out first.”

Sae Joon Hyun gave a quick glance at his phone before replying, his voice dismissive. “Don’t need to. I got their text.”

“What did they say?” Eunhye tugged on his sleeve, her curiosity piqued.

Sae Joon Hyun glanced down at her before looking back at his phone, his fingers moving quickly across the screen. “Ahem. The rescue mission hasn’t started in Andong yet.”

“Not yet? So, they’re in Gyeryong then?” Eunhye murmured, the realization sinking in.

“Guess that’s what it means,” Sae Joon Hyun replied, his voice tinged with a sense of finality.

Eunhye nodded thoughtfully, then asked, “Then, what did you tell them to do, Sae Joon Hyun?”

He grinned, a familiar mischief flickering in his eyes. “What do you think? They’re going to take a detour as well.”

Eunhye couldn’t help but laugh. “Haha... that’s so you…”

Sae Joon Hyun frowned, the smile fading slightly. “What? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Eunhye rolled her eyes playfully, her frustration from earlier melting away. “Gosh... why are you so sensitive today? Shall we go?”

Sae Joon Hyun’s expression softened as he sighed in resignation. “Pssh. Whatever.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

[Day Fifteen]

"It took us days to just reach Andong. And now we are headed for Gyeryong?" Jay ruffled his hair, irritated.

"Yup. That just means more days. We won't be leaving for Seoul untill the third day of this detour." Minji replied.

"Yeah.. this is hell.." Young said slowly. Minji took the steering wheel, quietly driving in the night.

"That's one hour." Jay said hitting the stop watch on his phone. Minji sighed and stepped on the brakes. They awkwardly shuffled in the blankets that were packed in their bags and hoped to catch some sleep.

[Day Sixteen]

The morning sun hit their faces like a reality check. They sighed looking at each other.

"I don't care anymore. Let's sprint in like hell." Minji said wrapping the blanket around herself. She pressed on the clutch. It indeed was weird to be in a bus with a bunch of people next to you snuggled in their blankets chewing on snacks. It felt like a field day trip and that was exactly why she didn't like it.

"Since there is no sign of those things as of now, we are taking this risk, honey. If things go even the slightest bit weird, we stop." Young told her.

"Suuuure, Baby~ stop nagging me~" Minji voiced in an almost baby voice.

"Minji~ you gotta listen when you gotta listen~"

"Suuuree~~"

"Please get lovey dovey elsewhere.." Jay muttered creeping behind Young who was holding onto Minji's seat as she was driving them all towards their destination.

Charyeong tossed herself around facing the window of her seat distancing herself from the rest of the crowd. As she tried to catch a quick morning nap for she couldn't get a wink of sleep in the night, her eyes laid in front, towards the large window, a faint figure presumably waving at them. She shifted, standing up wrapped in the olive blanket advancing towards the crowd that did not include Ji-Hoon for he was still asleep at the back of the bus.

"Miss. Minji-- I - I mean Eunnie. Look. There is someone in front of the bus." Charyeong said correcting her honorifics immediately when she felt Minji's blazing glare. Minji nodded smiling. She pressed the brakes next and the sudden stop awoke Ji-Hoon. He yawned annoyingly, grabbing the blanket around his tightly. He glared at the crowd who almost seemed like buzzing bees near the driver's seat to him.

"Should we really be doing this? Remember what Hailey had told us? That Minwoo guy.." Jay reminisced nervously.

"You are right.. it is risky." Said Young.

"Then what we do now? Why did you stop the bus anyway?" Ji-Hoon asked Minji. They turned to his voice finding him standing behind them with the blanket still intact around him. "Sorry we woke you up." Young referred to him apologetically. Ji-Hoon nodded away, "why did you stop?"

"Because Charyeong asked me to." Minji replied in a jiff. "Hey, hey. I only said there is someone up ahead." Charyeong defended herself.

"Fine, fine! Sorry for hitting the brakes, Sheesh."