43: Incheon [18]- The Plan
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Daniel exhaled, looking down. His breath was heavy, slow—like he'd been holding it for far too long. For a moment, the world around him was silent. Dust hung in the air, a faint tremor passed through his fingers, and then—he smiled. It wasn't wide or proud. It was small, faint, but real. He looked up.
His eyes, once drowned in guilt and tears, now shimmered with something else—confidence, raw and fierce, burning under exhaustion. The subtle tilt of his head caught the dim light, and for the first time in a long while, his expression carried resolve instead of regret.
"Hoooh…" Daniel exhaled again, half a chuckle slipping through. "I was out of my character, I suppose." His tone carried a calm certainty, tinged with humor that didn't quite reach his eyes. He sniffed once, rubbed his nose, and looked straight at Zack Lee.
The air between them was thick, heavy with unsaid words. Daniel's voice broke through it, low and serious.
"Zack, we need your help—to get them to Busan. Jaegyeon Na already reached out to someone from there. We just need to get them there, somehow."
Zack stood with his arms crossed, his jaw tight, his expression unreadable. He listened to Daniel's entire explanation in silence. Then, he sighed, scratching the back of his head in that old familiar way.
"Man," he started, shaking his head. "You told us your three-chapter backstory just to stretch this long—and now you're finally revealing the real reason." His tone was half-mocking, half-serious.
He turned to Jaegyeon Na and stepped closer until he was right in front of him. The tension thickened, quiet but sharp. Zack looked straight into his eyes and spoke, voice calm but cutting.
"You already betrayed us once. Back in Busan. We came because Daniel asked us, not because we trusted you. I don't believe you now, so don't even think of betraying us again."
The air stilled. Jaegyeon met Zack's glare for a moment, then—unexpectedly—he bowed. Hard. His forehead nearly brushed the dusty ground.
Zack's eyes widened, startled enough to step back. "What the—"
"I am… very sorry for what happened in Busan." Jaegyeon's voice cracked slightly, but his words were steady. "You can believe in me now."
Daniel blinked. Vasco frowned. Jay tilted his head slightly. Even Samuel, usually unfazed, looked mildly surprised.
Speed took a half-step forward, trying to grab Jaegyeon's arm. "Jaegyeon, what are you—"
Yeowool, Speed's No.3, stepped in sharply. "Why are you bowing down to a Second Generation!?" Her voice carried disbelief and frustration.
But Jaegyeon didn't move. His head remained bowed. His shoulders trembled—not from fear, but from control, from forcing himself to stay low. He bit down on his lower lip hard enough that a drop of red touched his chin.
"If bowing to someone can help us—and Incheon…" He lifted his head slowly, his eyes cold and unwavering. "Then I can bow even to a hoodlum… or a good-for-nothing."
A heavy silence followed. Daniel, Vasco, Jay, and Zack all froze, unsure whether to take offense or pity.
"Hey," Vasco muttered, eyes darting to the others. "Did he just compare us to hoodlums and good-for-nothings?"
"Shut it, Vasco," Zack grunted, voice low, irritation flickering through his tone.
Zack cleared his throat, loosening his tie as he stepped forward again. He was about to speak—maybe to lecture, maybe to fight—but before the words could leave his mouth, another voice cut through the tension.
"Seriously," the voice said, calm and cold, echoing off the walls. "You guys waste so much time."
Everyone turned.
There, standing at the far end, leaning lazily against a cracked concrete wall, was Samuel Seo. His arms were folded, his sharp eyes glinting with faint amusement.
"Shouldn't you be hurrying up?" he said. "Maybe discussing the actual plan instead of posturing like idiots?"
Zack's teeth clenched instantly. He glared. "Oh, fucking great compassionate Buddha, why does he always cut through me!?"
Samuel's lips curved upward. "Why are you staring? Feeling inferior?" His tone was pure provocation.
Zack's body tensed like a spring. His fist balled, his feet shifted—he lunged before anyone could blink.
But Daniel reacted just in time. He grabbed Zack by the arm and held tight, his other hand pressing against his chest. Vasco joined in, trying to restrain him.
"Let me go, Daniel!" Zack barked, voice shaking with anger. "Let me go, just this once!"
"Zack! Patience!" Daniel shouted, struggling to keep him back. "What have you learned from your master!?"
Samuel snorted softly, watching with disinterest. "I'll give you a rough idea of what we've planned," he said finally. "But you'd better keep your temper in check. I understand you're going through a rough age, kid."
Zack's glare could've burned through stone.
[A/N: Samuel is 22 in Korean age (21 international), Zack is 19 in Korean age (18 international).]
Before Zack could retort, Jaegyeon stepped in between them, raising his hand. "Enough," he said firmly. "We don't have much time. I'm going to share the plan."
After a tense moment, everyone settled. Those who had been standing now sat in a loose circle on the cold, cracked floor. The flickering light above cast uneven shadows across their faces.
Samuel sat beside Zack. Zack beside Vasco. Vasco beside Jay. Jay beside Jaegyeon. The circle closed, silent except for the sound of breathing.
Jaegyeon reached into his coat, pulled out a folded piece of paper, and laid it flat on the ground. It was a map—creased, old, its surface filled with lines and symbols drawn by hand. Some lines overlapped, jagged and chaotic, others perfectly straight.
"This," he said, his tone all business, "is the map of Incheon's underground tunnels. I got it from Ms. Yuha."
The mention of the name made Vasco's head turn. He looked toward the corner, where Ms. Yuha stood with her calm smile and kind, unreadable eyes.
Jaegyeon continued. He pressed his finger to a spot on the map.
"This is where we are right now." His finger then traced across the page, sliding toward the coast. "And this is where our final destination is."
The faint sound of the sea echoed somewhere above, almost in sync with the movement of his finger.
Zack leaned forward, brow furrowing. "So, you're going toward the sea through the tunnels?"
"Yes," Jaegyeon replied. "To some distance. After that, we run with our legs."
"For some distance?" Zack asked again. "Till where?"
Jaegyeon hesitated briefly. "Till… Incheon Chinatown."
The room froze.
Zack's eyes widened instantly. "Incheon Chinatown? Dark Crocodile's base?" His voice carried disbelief. "But why the hell would you go there?"
"Because it's safer than going through the land," another voice cut in. It was Daniel's, he was calm but firm.
Zack's expression twisted. "Safer? That's literally their home! How the hell is that safer!?"
Jaegyeon met his eyes without flinching. "You might not know this, but about 80% of Dark Crocodile's forces are already roaming—hunting for us."
Zack paused. His jaw slackened slightly. "Eighty percent?"
"Yes," Jaegyeon said, voice tightening. "And when we make our move to escape, that's when you all—" He looked up at Daniel, Zack, Vasco, Samuel and Jay— "fight the dangerous ones."
The air grew colder.
"Dangerous ones?" Zack asked quietly, the seriousness in his tone deeper now.
Jaegyeon's eyes hardened. "Yes. Joongoo Kim. Kitae Kim. And the other two who came with them."
Zack frowned. His hands tightened slightly. "How do you know Kitae Kim?"
Jaegyeon's lips curved faintly, a smirk tugging at his mouth. "The banishment of the Ex-King of Seoul was big news six years ago."
Zack exhaled, shaking his head slowly. "Right…?" He muttered under his breath. He was confused yet again.
But before the air could settle, Vasco spoke up, his tone curious. "Uhh, all okay—but the other two you mentioned… one of them was Taejin Cheon, right? Where is he?"
Everyone turned slightly toward Vasco.
Then, from behind him, Ms. Yuha stepped closer. Her soft footsteps echoed faintly against the stone floor. She placed a gentle hand on Vasco's shoulder. Her expression was calm but her eyes thoughtful.
"Are you talking about the one who was rude and had darker skin and yellow hair?" she asked.
Vasco looked over his shoulder and nodded. "Yeah...I guess?."
"Hmm…" Yuha tilted her head, recalling. "If I remember correctly, he was the only one who went with Mugak Wang."
Zack turned toward her instantly. "The only one who went with Mugak Wang? Where actually?" His question overlapped with Vasco's. Even Jay leaned forward, his curiosity piqued.
Ms. Yuha scratched her cheek with her index finger, thinking. Then she looked up toward the ceiling, as though trying to recall the sound of a conversation from long ago.
"Hm… I guess he said…"
She lowered her gaze. Her voice softened.
"Incheon Chinatown, was it?"
Silence.
Then, Zack's and Vasco's eyes widened simultaneously. They turned toward each other in shock. Jay's usually calm face changed, his mouth opened, opened wider than usual.
They shared a glance—brief, sharp, meaningful.
Vasco spoke first, quietly but firmly.
"That's where… Sunglasses went, right?"
The room fell into an eerie stillness. The fluorescent light above flickered again, casting shadows across their faces.
Samuel leaned back slightly, crossing his arms, expression unreadable. Daniel looked down at the map, the lines of the tunnels stretching like veins—each one leading toward Chinatown, toward danger.
Jaegyeon's eyes narrowed. The faint sound of wind from a cracked vent brushed against the silence.
Vasco exhaled deeply. Zack clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening.
The tension was a living thing now—pressing on all of them, silent but suffocating.
And in that suffocating quiet, the only thing louder than their breaths was the unspoken truth—
Every path they had left led straight into the enemy's lair.
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