nyctophilia
[ nĭk′tə-fĭl′ē-ə ]
n.
a preference for the night or darkness
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"Oh we're definitely killing them then, I need to pad my stats anyway."
"You sound like a serial killer."
"I know, I still wonder why...
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"We're back!" Naeun announced as we stepped into headquarters, the familiar scent of leather and old books filling the air.
Our headquarters isn’t exactly easy to find, which makes it the perfect hideout. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary boutique, charming yet unassuming. But there’s a secret: a disguised bookshelf at the back. To access the main gate, you have to pull out a specific book titled Pirate King, then push the shelf to the left. The mechanism clicks, revealing a hidden passage that leads to our true base of operations.
Easy, right? Well, maybe now it is. The first time I tried, I nearly broke my fingers forcing the shelf in the wrong direction. But hey, we learn from our mistakes!
We stepped through and were greeted by Chaewon, the boutique’s seamstress and an integral part of our team. Her skills in disguise-making had saved our necks more times than I could count. She looked up from the sketchpad she was scribbling on and smiled, "Heyyy, how'd it go?"
"Smooth as butter," I replied with a grin, "easiest targets we've had in months."
"Glad to hear it!" she said before returning to her work.
From there, we made our way to the living room. I glanced over at Choi, noticing him touch his jaw. The purple bruise spreading along his skin was impossible to miss.
"Might want to get that bruise checked, Choi." I said, arching a brow at him.
"I'm fine. It's just a little swelling." he replied with a shrug, as if the discoloration wasn’t evidence to the contrary.
"Your jaw could’ve gotten dislocated, San." Naeun said, her tone more stern and sounding like a mother scolding her son. She crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed by his nonchalant attitude.
We didn’t have much time to argue. Heavy footsteps echoed behind us, and we turned to see Rihyun approaching with a sharp look in her eyes. Her arms were crossed, and she didn’t seem the least bit amused.
"Just a little swelling, huh?" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Her gaze landed on Choi’s jaw, making him stiffen slightly under her scrutiny. "That’s a big ass bruise you’ve got there, buddy. I’ll go grab an ice pack." Without waiting for a response, she spun on her heel and disappeared into the kitchen.
I couldn’t suppress a smirk at Choi’s expression. Rihyun wasn’t someone you argued with, especially when it came to medical care.
"You guys wait here," I said, pulling out my earpiece, "I’ll go return these to Mingi and Yeosang." I held out my hand, and Naeun and Choi deposited their earpieces onto my palm without a word.
