MIN SEO 

Min Seo felt like each step she took was shortening her journey to death. Her heart was drumming against her chest. Her breaths came out in short puffs. She kept a sharp ear out for any sounds, glancing around her once in a while. The sun was high in the sky, but the light didn't reach the green grounds of the forest floor. The leaves above her created a canopy like structure, keeping the hot rays away as she continued to head east.

The sun rays that did manage to filter through the gaps between the leaves scattered on the ground in jagged patterns. It made a pretty picture if she had the time to admire it.

Small mercies, she supposed.

She bit her tongue from the reflex to scream when she heard a sound echoing from her right, pulling her out from her musings. Turning her body to the direction of the noise, she raised her gun. Steady, calm, she made sure she pushed down her anxiety and fear that threatened to swallow her rationality whole. Fingers tight on the trigger, she narrowed her gaze.

A shadow.

She saw a shadow moving from behind one of the large tree trunks. It was casted on the ground, the shape distorting every time the person moved. She took a small step toward the tree that became that person's hiding spot.

Had the Official found her?

She really thought she was far away from them.

Cursing her luck, she analysed her escape routes.

If anything were to go wrong, she had no choice but to pull the trigger and shoot. The forest was an open route, every single path could either lead her to salvation or to her doom.

Min Seo didn't know if she wanted to take that risk. Not just yet.

The shadow morphed again with movement from the person. Tightening her jaw, she took another step. If she could press her gun against the person without getting detected, she could have an advantage in this situation. She was good at being stealthy, she knew.

Another step.

Another movement from the intruder.

Before she knew it, she was a feet away from what she assumed to be the Official. She furrowed her eyebrows, confusion swelling inside her when the person didn't make a move to break away and run or fight back. She looked to the ground, noting that the shadow hadn't moved. Raising her gun a little higher, she counted to three in her head.

And then, she moved.

She turned, stepping in front of the individual. With the gun pointed at a man, she took advantage of the adrenaline running in her blood to sharpen her senses. Making sure her muscles weren't too locked up so she could move swiftly if required, she looked at him.

The words, the urgency to yell at him died in her throat when her suspicions were confirmed.

An Official. 

"Don't shoot me!" a dark-skinned man yelled, hands raised in air with palms facing her.

Min Seo thinned her lips, ignoring the shakiness in that man's voice. It all could be a lie for all she knew. She kept the gun aimed at his head. Taking him in, she noticed he was wearing the Official uniform.

"Where are the rest of you?" she hissed, taking a step back.

The man shook his head. "No one's here."

Min Seo didn't buy that. She wanted to take a look around her in case this was a trap but she couldn't turn her back against him. Forcing her body to move, she took a step toward him again, this time, her finger itched to press on the trigger.

It was better to stop this and make a run for it.

The man's green eyes were wide, his mouth opened a little as if he was about to speak. He raised his hands a little higher, taking a step back.

"Please," he said. "I mean no harm."

Min Seo gritted her teeth. "You're an Official."

The man didn't speak but she didn't need to hear him talk.

"Did you follow me here?" she demanded. "How many of you are here? How long have you been following me?"

Silence washed into the scene. Min Seo's nerves were singing in her body, mixing with the thrums of flight-or-fight response making her sick to the pit of her stomach. She chanced a glance to her left and right, checking. Analysing. The only sound in the air that greeted her was the wind that combed through the leaves.

Glaring at the man, she noted how he seemed to shake a little, his fingers trembling as he kept his body tight and taut. A manic grin threatened to spill on her lips. She was holding an Official at gun point.

Who would've thought she would be here right now?

Panic started trickling and making a home in her mind when she quickly realised she had no idea what to do besides killing the man here.

As much as she knew that that was the right course of action, she found herself hesitating.

Taking away a life was new to her despite how long she had been in this route of life.

Appa made sure she never had to kill.

But she might not have a choice now.

Buckle up, Min Seo. This was going to change the way she thought of herself if she went through with it. Maybe she would get used to red that would seep out of the wounds made by the bullet. Maybe she would find peace at the fact she had protected herself.

Maybe nothing would change and she wouldn't feel guilty because she had shot the danger.

"Please," the man said, his voice barely above a whisper.

She held back from the shock threatening to write on her features when tears started running down the man's cheeks.

Tears. Why were there tears?

No, she couldn't be fooled.

Wasn't this just coincidentally convenient?

This was a lie.

He was tricking her.

"Shut up," she hissed. "Shut the hell up."

A sob escaped the man, a short noise before he clamped his lips tight, silencing himself.

What the hell was wrong with him?

Min Seo wasn't going to let whatever show he was putting on distract her. He wanted her to let down her guard before he would hurt her. That was how it was with these Officials. They played dirty with their tricks.

"Stop crying!" she exclaimed, adjusting her grip on the gun. "Just stop."

"Let me go," the man said. "Please. I'll go on my own way."

Min Seo's confusion increased tenfold, replacing the panic and anxiety as she stared at the man. He looked straight into her eyes, his green eyes were wet. There were something in those eyes that made her stop for a second, halting her suspicions.

Honestly, how far was the man willing to go with his act?

"What are you talking about?" she questioned.

"I won't tell anyone about you," the man said. "Please!"

She let the way his shaky voice capture her attention completely. The grip on her chest tightened. Hesitation to kill this man became solid within her. Like someone had closed that option just with those words.

Her defences, unwillingly, dropped a little and the tremors that she tried to hide showed themselves when her gun shook a little.

And that was her mistake.

The green eyes sharpened and Min Seo's defences slammed right back up. Before she could shoot, the man lunged at her. Hands reached to her wrist and the gun. She yelped, the bag on her shoulders slipped from the force the man had used on her as it dropped to the ground. Training kicking into her system, she twisted her hands out of the grip. The gun that loosened between her fingers almost slipped from her hands.

The man took that opportunity to snatch it from her. Another hand shot to grab her right arm. Min Seo bit back a pained groan when she was turned, hand twisted against her back. Knees buckled when feet slammed the back of her legs. She tried to fight back, pulling her weight to swipe the man from under her.

But before she knew it, she was locked in place with the man pointing the gun at the back of her head, and him pressing a knee on her back. Her chest was on the ground, her body lighting up in pain. Anger coursed through her veins, dousing the flames in her mind with gasoline. Heart pumping, she continued to struggle, unwilling to surrender. She raised her free hand, swinging her elbow so that it would reach something within her reach.

Her movements halted when there the gun was pressed against her head deeper, startling and stilling her.

"Stop moving," the man said. "I won't shoot, I promise."

She gritted her teeth. "I will kill you."

Her arm was twisted a little more, causing her to bit back a scream.

"Stop," the man said, his voice quiet. "I won't shoot you but you have to stop struggling."

She refused to give up. Once she got out of here, she would make sure she put a bullet through his head. Appa had always warned her that she was sometimes too kind for her own good. This was one of the moments she was aware what he had meant by that.

If only she hadn't been fooled by those tears.

"Stop struggling or I won't have a choice but to dislocate your shoulder," the man said.

"Dislocating my shoulder won't stop me from mangling you the second I get my hands on you," Min Seo yelled.

The man sighed.

That did nothing to subside her anger.

"Okay, here," he said, pulling the gun away from her head.

Min Seo stopped moving then.

The gun was tossed a few feet from her left.

That action took her off guard. For a moment, none of them moved and she tensed. The gun that he could have used to shoot her and kill her was now no longer aimed at her.

Was this man stupid?

Who would throw away an opportunity to end your enemy?

"I'm not going to shoot you."

What was this man doing?

"Let me go, you asshole," Min Seo said.

"I need you to listen to me, please," the man said. "I won't harm you. I don't have anything on me to harm you. I promise. I just need help."

She yelled, "Let me go!"

He hesitated. "Don't shoot me. If I let you go, you can't shoot me."

"Are you demanding stuff from me now?"

Min Seo couldn't keep the irritation and disbelief from her tone. In pain and ready to end this, all she wanted was to either punch him until he died or shoot him.

"Please."

She was aware that if she didn't cooperate, she might be here for a long time. When she tried to get up, the pressure on her back reminded her of the knee still on it. Huffing a breath, she swallowed her pride. She needed to be released from this grip so she could defend herself and right now, it seemed like the best way to do this was to listen to him.

"Let me go," she demanded.

"Don't—"

"Let me go before I change my mind and put a bullet through your head," Min Seo said, anger licking her thoughts.

The man didn't move like she thought he would. Just when she was ready to move, no longer patient about the consequences she might face if she went against him, the man's knee left her back and the grip on her arm loosened. A giddy feeling took over her body when she realised she was free. Without giving the man any warning, she pulled her hand away and turned her body. With a feet, she lifted and kicked him off her.

He stumbled and fell flat on his back. He didn't stay on the ground for long, however. She forced her limbs to unlock as she got to her feet. When the man stood up, her fist flew and connected to his jaw before she kicked him again, making sure it hit his stomach. A long groan came from the man as he went down on his knees, placing a hand on the ground while the other clutched his abdomen.

The rage that burned brightly in her dimmed a little when she noted that he remained on his knees, not moving. His chest raised and lowered in erratic movements as if he was breathing harshly. The thought of hurting him until he bled to death left her body as he continued to not move.

She furrowed her eyebrows, touching her shoulder that hurt.

"Touch me again and I'll make it worse," she spat, frowning when the man nodded.

"Fair," he said, voice hoarse as he lifted his head to look at her. "I just want you to listen to me. That's all I ask."

"Why should I?" she said. "What's holding me back from killing you right here, right now?"

"Nothing," the man said. "There isn't anything stopping you besides me pleading you to spare my life."

Min Seo winced when she moved her injured arm, the pain shooting down to her fingertips had her hissing. The dimmed anger flared at what he had done to her. She took a step toward him when she noted he flinched, his shoulders hunched closer to his body.

Almost as if he was terrified.

A scoff threatened to leave her lips.

"You're an Official," she said. "Where are the rest of you?"

"There is no one else," he replied. "It's just me."

"You lot never travel alone," she said. "Who the hell are you trying to fool?"

She looked over her shoulder and found her gun. Taking a few steps toward it while keeping an eye on him, she crouched down and grabbed the weapon. She looked at it, fingers tightening around the barrel.

"I ran. I ran away from them."

Min Seo froze as those words registered in her mind. Her eyes widened, snapping her gaze at him. She stood where she was at, staring down at him. The man moved to sit on the ground, a hand still on his stomach as his green eyes met her dark ones.

"I don't believe you," she said.

The man's body slumped. "I know it's farfetched—"

"Farfetched? You all are mindless, brainwashed robots!" Min Seo yelled, forgetting that she shouldn't be screaming so much if she wanted to keep herself hidden. "And now you're saying you ran away? You're a lying spy!"

"I'm not!" the man said. "I'm not like them. I can't be like them. I ran away. I had to leave. I can't do what they wanted me to do. Please, you have to believe me."

"Suddenly you grew a conscience?" Min Seo said. "I'm not falling for that."

She raised her gun.

His eyes widened and Min Seo saw the fear wrapping itself on his face. It mirrored the expression she would make when she was in scary situations. It looked almost real, almost like he was telling the truth. And then, the tears that ran down his face again for the second time since they met, it added to the realism of his fear.

Conflicted at what she was seeing and what she was supposed to do, she lowered her gun.

"Please, I beg of you," he said. "I'm telling you the truth. I don't want to be on their side. I can't do what they wanted me to do. I promise I'm not lying."

"How can I truly believe you?"

"If," the man said, taking in a deep breath. "If I really am working for them, you would have been shot before you could even aim that gun at me."

"That's convincing," Min Seo said, her voice dry.

The man dropped his gaze to the ground, almost in an act of defeat that had her holding her breath. She couldn't deny that that was true. If he was truly working for them, she wouldn't have even been able to raise the gun the first time around before she was shot. But how could she even believe a man who was once an Official?

Just how much of the things he said was the truth?

"I don't trust you," she said.

"That's fair but please, just let me go," he said. "I won't tell anyone I met you."

She contemplated on that.

If she let him walk away, she wasn't sure if he would truly leave them alone.

What if he was lying at the end?

But the only other option besides letting him go was to bring him with her and that would pose the same danger of her leading the government right to them if he was a true Official.

There were so many risks in both options.

The third option was to kill him.

It was the less risky option but she wasn't sure if she could do it right now, not when the green eyes that met hers were filled with fear, with the same emotions she was familiar with.

She had seen them in her own eyes, in Jae.

At the thought of her brother, she sighed.

She couldn't kill him until she was sure this man was an Official. For now, she had to keep a close eye on him until he convinced her he wasn't a part of them. And that would mean she had to delay her trip to the base.

She had to take a winded route there so it would give her time to analyse him.

Appa would be disappointed in her decision, she was sure.

Hell, Jae would have shot him before he even opened his mouth.

And yet, something about the man was stopping Min Seo from pulling the trigger.

She wanted to find out what it was. And if this man truly defected from World Government, maybe she could know what it was that they were trying to do to them. It would give insight to the inner workings of the government and their power.

Hoping she made the right decision, she looked at the man and said, "Get up. You're not going anywhere."

"What?" the man said, eyes wide.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight until I'm sure what you're saying is true," Min Seo said. "So, you're following me."

Min Seo narrowed her eyes, waiting for a protest and the man opened his mouth, seeming ready to do just that.

"Either you follow me or I'll pull the trigger and you can die," she said, cutting him off before he could even start arguing.

That shut the man up.

He nodded after a moment.