Hajoon stood there, gun still in hand, eyes locked on Taeyang through the peephole. His body felt locked in place, as if he decided too fast he'd put everyone in danger.
Slowly, he reached for the door handle.
His fingers wrapped around the cold metal. He turned it just enough for the latch to loosen–
But he stopped.
Hajoon let out a long breath and leaned forward, forehead brushing the door. After a moment, he slid down until he was sitting on the floor, his back resting against the wood, knees bent, gun lowered but still in his grip.
"Taeyang…" he said quietly. "Do you remember the first time our squad went to that zoo together?"
There wasn't any response at the other side of the door from Taeyang.
When Taeyang did move, it wasn't toward the handle. Hajoon could hear fabric shift, then the dull thud of someone sitting down. Taeyang's back pressed against the other side of the door.
His earlier smile was gone. What replaced it was heavy and tired.
Rain poured down the road. Cars passed as their tires splashed rainwater everywhere, their headlights sliding across the walls in brief flashes.
Taeyang stared straight ahead.
"Look through the spyhole again," he said.
Hajoon frowned but pushed himself up. He leaned forward and peered through the peephole once more, scanning the hallway like before.
At first, it looked empty.
Then he noticed them.
Dark-clothed figures standing where the light didn't quite reach. Near the stairwell. By the vending machine at the far end. Half-hidden behind corners and doors. Their faces were covered, masks blending into the shadows, waiting to make a move.
Hajoon pulled back sharply and slid down again, sitting with his back against the door. He raised both hands and covered his face, shoulders trembling as his breathing grew uneven.
"It was another order from Oryong," Taeyang said. "I was sent here to eliminate our squad. And capture Dara alive."
Inside the room, Seonhwa pressed herself deeper into the closet, eyes wide, hands clamped over her mouth to keep from making a sound.
In the bathroom, Dara stood with her back against the door. Her expression didn't change, but her posture straightened slightly.
Hajoon lowered his hands and rested his forearms on his knees. He leaned his head back until it touched the door, eyes staring at the ceiling.
"There's no way out," he said quietly. "Is there?"
Taeyang finally looked away from the road outside and down at the floor.
"Before I go," Hajoon continued, voice rough, "there's something I need to tell you."
The room went still.
In the closet, Seonhwa's expression shifted from fear to shock.
In the bathroom, Dara still has her back turned against the door, but her head was turned, looking at the door.
…
Taeyang's voice came softly through the door, stripped of its earlier ease.
"So that's it, huh?"
A quiet sound slipped out of Hajoon, something that wasn't quite a laugh, but rough around the edges, breaking as soon as it surfaced.
"Easy, Taeyang," he said, steady despite the tremor in his chest. "I'm right here."
…
BANG!