-•☆•-

She mounted her shotgun, calling for the bird, and swang with the flying target. Just before she pulled the trigger, she shut both her eyes. 

"Pause!! Pause," her trainer cried out. "Your stance is the first thing to consider. You've been getting lessons for almost three years now. Why are your feet so close to each other? Weren't they supposed to be roughly shoulder width apart?" 

She fixed her stance with her forward foot pointing to the spot she wanted to hit the target. Her posture was forward, knees slightly bent. 

"Do not hunch down to the stock, lady," the trainer prompted, half-bent, he put his hands on both his knees.

"Hm," she swang at the same speed along the flight line of the target. 

"Fire!!!" Her trainer commanded.

She fired at the pitiable crossbill. The lively chunky finch didn't mind forfeiting her breath for the welfare of someone's panache.

She kept the shotgun swinging after she had shot her shot. 

Her trainer patted her back, "Very well done, Mrs. Yang!"  

-

They rounded off their somewhat consumable early meal, but the squad was very cynical of if it could be entitled as edible. But, Minhyuk exerted himself to confirm to the subservients' mealtime, that was all that mattered to the others. 

Wooshik hadn't woken up as yet. 

"I'm going to reassess the last place Siwoo was seen in that footage. Last time I could find nothing but my guts say it might give me some leads. If Sir wakes up, tell him I've gone out to the newly installed solar panels, alright?" Minhyuk threw on his overcoat, arranging to leave. His boots kept close at hand. "Joon, if I'm not too wrong you weren't one of those who feigned to be a part of our caravan celebration?"

"Yeah, I was assigned to supervise the conduct and send them directions or advises. Don't worry, after our success I erased the footage," The boy sat facing a panorama hanging behind Sehun. Joon's memory served him correctly. 

"In that case, you should pay a visit to the bar and by any means gather some information, no matter how trivial it is," Minhyuk suggested. 

"There's no point in that." 

All eyes fell upon Yang Sehun. But he knew he would never say something without rigorously studying it. "Literally! Don't waste your time." 

"Why would you say that?" Joon raised. 

"Our June-Way gay bar has became a casualty with respect to your recent operation. To top it off, the informant…he was sent to cause a blast there, right?" 

Minhyuk glanced uncomfortably at Sehun, "Sorry," he mumbled quietly. 

Sehun snickered, "Why are you being sorry? As if you had any other choice. I can tell who compelled you to spark that idea." 

"As because you said for the sake of your peers, you would offer us help in return. So, I can expect a decent alternative this time, right?" Came from Joon, who was fixing his hair by his reflection on the steel jug. "Or are you going to play us false?" an incredulous smile adorned his whole face.

"Joon!!" 

Sehun raised his arm to keep Minhyuk from getting triggered, "Relax! Joon hyung's fears are well grounded, don't you think?" 

"How do you know I'm your hyung?" 

"If not, please correct me," Sehun laid back at a corner of that couch, legs crossed, like it was some sort of throne he owned. 

Joon prolonged staring at Sehun irately. 

"I take it as you are indeed my hyung. So, Joon hyung, I can promise you I wouldn't play any of you false. If you take my suggestions into consideration, and reflect on it…you would know why did I say that," Sehun took some deep breaths,

"They haven't recovered from the last incident, how do you expect them to cooperate?? With that, I can't guarantee either that the bar is reopened."

"It's not, Kiara called this dawn. She said she took a visit there and it said closed," Chris chipped in, who was sitting beside Sehun, claiming a small space as his.

"Kiara?" Joon looked oddly at the spokesperson. 

"Yeah, I mean she maybe only wanted to help us."

"She called on the landline?" Came from the same man last time. 

"Hmm," Chris squirmed, breaking his eye contact with the latter. 

"How come we didn't hear a ring??" 

"Joon?? Do you think it Is it the correct time to probe into Chris?" Minhyuk crossed arms across his chest. His boots stood in the position they were kept in, Minhyuk's feet looking down on them, "Eve, you may begin." 

"There are two ways. The choice would be yours after that. The first one is to abuse me, mistreat me, to the point I can't breathe properly. Bully me to suck all the life out of me. Record it and send it to June-Way, Yejun hyung most probably will receive it. And you'll be happy to know that," Clearing his throat Sehun carried on with, "I'm the manager's only weakness."

Minhyuk harbored a squashed vexation, "May I know the other?" 

"Why not, but that will take a lot of time. This aforementioned one isn't half as time consuming. Whatever you do, I want you to think before leaping," Sehun stood up, "Joon hyung, Daeseong hyung, your views count too." 

"Tell us the second option," picking up the dishes, nonchalance came through Daeseong. 

"I agree. I mean it's not like sir would go with the first anyway," Joon put forth his view. 

"In that case, since I'm not being maliciously treated like a typical hostage should be anyway, I might also have the freedom to go out and come in whenever I like?" 

"Whenever you like?" Minhyuk held back a laugh, "Are you kidding?" 

"Okay let me correct it. Whenever necessary, with permission. I cannot help you otherwise. Our manager isn't a very easy lady, and if you don't make a choice immediately, it would be too late," confidently Sehun declared, "You won't like your pretty little secrets to be known to the world, do you? And I…belong to your prominent enemies." 

Minhyuk was defeated, "Alright!" He sighed, "But in one condition. Someone should accompany you." 

"I don't mind but…does that mean you don't trust me, Minnie?" 

"I don't want to lose you." 

Minhyuk had that look of love in his eyes and that smile of lust on his lips, when he was all for nervousness. And Sehun knew that look, oh so well. 

"Then I must be his partner. June-Way won't recognize me, most probably. Yeah I know those hostages might or might not have seen me, but I believe I can handle them well," Joon recommended. 

"They were under influence of drugs, they won't remember you, don't worry. I skipped the offerings but managed to get myself in. So, I think I also want to take you with me," Sehun gave Minhyuk a look of avidity to know his answer. 

"As you both please." 

"We must leave immediately now," Sehun returned to Joon, "Minnie has said the word." 

The black and the brown haired were both equipped and hot to trot. Sehun wore any footwear he found was fit on his feet and dragged Joon with him. 

"Wait!! Wait!! Put on your prior shirt, or…or you know…" 

"Minnie!! Literally nothing has happened between us, don’t put it like that," Sehun felt strongly awkward. 

"What- I didn't mean that. I mean, at the end of the day you're my hostage," Minhyuk squeaked, bearing fraught words. 

"Maybe you should act like it? We're getting late, Eve," Joon ejected a sigh. 

"Don't worry, Minnie. I have a story made up. But that shirt…smells like sweat," Sehun blinked away. 

A little souring blemish grew within Joon. He was jealous, not of Sehun and Minhyuk but the story that was in their possession. Some five to six years ago or maybe some less, he gave up his love interest. And no, it was not just any love, not the kind you would find on the streets everyday, or in bedrooms. He fought his own monsters to retain his sanity. 

He seized Sehun's hand, "We're late Minnie. For our sake," he tried and wriggled out of that episode, "Can we leave now?" 

"Huh? Yeah." 

They took a step ahead, right when,

"What if you don't come back, Sehun??" 

Sehun stopped in his tracks and turned to witness the Lee Wooshik. 

His mouth broken up in a yawn, "What if?"

Despair set in and yet Sehun held fast to a certainty that there would be a light someday, that he used to see once upon a time. 

"You know my biggest weakness."

-•☆•-