𝔗𝔢𝔪𝔭𝔱𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 | 𝔅𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔦𝔫𝔥𝔬 𝔄𝔘

3// Key to the Heart

〚 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕞𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕒 𝕀 𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕕𝕠𝕖𝕤
                     𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕕𝕖𝕗𝕚𝕟𝕖 𝕞𝕖 〛

ATEEZ
◀︎ ❚❚ ▶︎
♡   ←---○---→   ◉
ᴀɴsᴡᴇʀ
ⁿᵒʷ ᵖˡᵃʸⁱⁿᵍ
_____________________________

answers weren't easy to come by in my world. either you knew them, or someone held their knowledge above your head.

so when I attempted to find the men from three years ago, it was near impossible to find any traces...

at least until a recent news story.

𝚂𝚎𝚘𝚞𝚕 𝙳𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚢

𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚐𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚗𝚊𝚖.
𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚖 𝚛𝚞𝚗𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚈𝚊𝚗𝚐 𝙹𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗, 𝚊𝚐𝚎 17.
𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚞𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚜𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚗, 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚞𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛?
𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚎 𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚈𝚊𝚗𝚐 𝙹𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗.

Yang Jeongin?

I smirked... this is news for me.

I shouldered my bag, newspaper in my hand as made my way back into the alley, I made a hard right, finding an old rundown stairwell.

the way to Utpoia.

I hummed softly as I carefully made my way down stairs, traveling for a few moments before the area began to get slowly cleaner and better kept.

Hongjoong said it was for the best for the outside to remain rundown, less would suspect an inmortal safe place to reside within such terrible conditions.

I found the door, opening it to see the common room, Wonderland.

I continued on through the small club, to the bartender.

I smiled softly," San!!! how have you been?"

"Lino! nice to see you again, things have been the same for a bit, need anything?"

I thought for a moment," can I get a small one, two, and seven?"

he raised an eyebrow," are you sure about that?"

I nodded," Mhm, I heard the technology they have may just fit my desire,"

he nodded with a smile," what time of day do the birds sing?"

"twilight," I answered softly.

San handed me a glass of water, and a paper bag, slipping a card into my palm.

"left or right?" he asked.

"front and center," I grinned.

he nodded, letting me go.

I made my way to the back, swiping the card in the slot, the elevator doors opening. I quickly stepped in, pushing in the number 127 before swiping my card again, the door closing.

I rarely visited them, the neozone... but it's just one of the branches of Utopia.

I heard they were run by a certain group... and their lower rungs runners were a sort of haven for the higher ups.

then again.

it could just be rumors.

I heard a ding and the elevator doors opened. I tilted my head to the side before walking out, going straight, not bothering to take a turn. the man I needed was front and center...

I opened the doors," Mark,"

"ah, hyung, why are you here?"

"I may or may not be calling in one of the many favors you owe me," I narrowed my eyes.

mark paled slightly," um..."

"calm down, no one will get hurt doing this, I need to just borrow your computer systems whenever I should need them,"

"oh, that's fine I guess, you know where they are?"

I nodded, handing him the paper bag," eat, you need it... I know you've been sacrificing your portions for your team, seeing taeyong has went missing,"

mark looked down," I miss him hyung,"

I put my hand on his shoulder," we all do... but I promise you... we're going to find him... after I settle some... things... I'll have some new connections... we'll get your hyung back,"

"hyung... I hate to admit..." he trailed off.

I sat beside him on the sofa, pulling him into my side," what is it mark-ah,"

"I hate to admit... that my heart aches for him... I hate to admit in the short year and a half I've been here... he's torn down every single wall... how can I forget him hyung, when he's the first besides you... to know the real me?"

"you don't forget him mark, you honor him, hold down his fort as best as you know how. it's only been a month... we're going to find him, he's coming home safe and sound," I laid a soft kiss upon his head, within a brotherly fashion," I promise you mark-ah, taeyong is going to be okay... we're going to find him, and he's going to see you, and your tiny powerhouse ass,"

we chuckled.

"is going to confess,"

the room grew quiet.

mark curled into me, whispering softly," what if he doesn't feel the same?"

"then taeil will kick his ass with me," I gave him a lopsided grin before turning serious," but in real terms... I'll take you away for awhile, we'll go somewhere, I don't know where, but it will be far away from here, and it will be just you and me against the world, like it has been for three years, okay?"

he nodded, smiling softly at me, closing his eyes.

after all...

it was always me and him... I couldn't imagine a world without him, even now.

mark was the brother I always needed... I couldn't lose him... to anything.

so I fight for a better world, I fight for a better place.

I can only hope... I'm not making a mistake.