Special Investigation Team BTS 2

EP 20. The Truth About Aquariums After Closing Time (4)

Phew–!!!

연여주

"…?!"

I didn't feel the pain I should have felt. Someone had entered the water, making it difficult to read the current. I just held my position, and then I felt someone grab my waist.

I kicked wildly, wondering if it was Psyche who had sent me. Out of breath and with no strength left in me, I shook it off, thinking it was my last.

Bam.

연여주

"…?"

The hand around her waist wrapped itself around her body, and the other hand came up to her head. Perhaps it was the buoyancy, but she felt a slow pat on her head. Could it be the person Psyche had sent?

Suddenly, my body gave out, and I felt myself sinking upward. My chest ached from the lack of oxygen in my lungs. Thinking I couldn't hold on any longer, I forced my mouth open.

Phew–

The oxygen I felt like I couldn't breathe in or out suddenly filled my lungs. I coughed, coughing, coughing, and spitting out the water that had filled my lungs.

I was hunched over, unable to keep my balance, groaning and slumping, when someone wrapped their arms around my shoulders and allowed me to lean against them. Was it the railing? It felt cold against my back.

민윤기

"Whew... It took 4 minutes and 21 seconds. Hey, are you okay?"

연여주

"Keuk…. Gasp…. I, I can't breathe…."

As the cloth covering his mouth and eyes disappeared, Yoongi's face appeared before his eyes. His eyes, soaking wet, were filled with worry as he examined the female protagonist.

Yeo-ju, who had been trained to hold her breath for up to 3 minutes and 26 seconds while in the organization, but had never held her breath for more than 4 minutes, felt her lungs tighten and her throat scratchy. She forgot the blood flowing down her hands and clutched her chest.

Suddenly, I took a deep breath, my head spinning and my vision spinning. I couldn't even look at Yoongi's face. Even though there was plenty of air around me, it felt like there wasn't enough air inside.

As she was panting, head up, Yoongi, sitting in front of her, cautiously reached out and cupped Yeoju's cheek. She looked up at him, straining to understand what he meant, and he looked at her with nervous eyes.

“…It’s because you can’t breathe properly.”

“…That’s it.”

The words that were about to be asked what Yoongi meant were swallowed by Yoongi's lips without any chance to avoid them.

When Yeoju tried to shake him off by placing both hands on Yoongi's shoulders, he gently wrapped one of his hands around hers. As she shook her shoulders, trying to pull away, the hand that had been cupping Yeoju's cheek grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her closer.

Breaths came in at regular intervals, as if they were being resuscitated. Not a stimulating, sticky kiss, but real resuscitation. It was, exactly, resuscitation.

Each time their lips touched and parted, Yeoju couldn't force Yoongi away. The oxygen, which had seemed to float around, finally seemed to enter her body.

Cool-

민윤기

"...Yeon Yeo-ju."

The water that had entered her lungs came out with a cough. Perhaps realizing that Yeoju could now breathe on her own, Yoongi withdrew all his outstretched hands and placed them back in their original positions.

He quietly called out the female protagonist's name and waited for an answer. The female protagonist roughly wiped her lips and looked at Yoon-gi with a venomous gaze.

연여주

"it's crazy?"

민윤기

“…I’m sorry about this.”

연여주

"Who the hell jumps into a shark fight?! You have two lives? Can I give you one for free?! You're out of your mind, really?!"

민윤기

"…what?"

Just now, this... a kiss... Anyway, wasn't this the reason you were angry? Yoongi shut his mouth as he looked at the female protagonist's already pale face, which had become even paler.

연여주

"What the heck!!! If you have any sense, you shouldn't even think about jumping into a place like this, ……Huh? What the heck is that…."

민윤기

"…uh?"

연여주

“I, that… is it all my blood…? And yet I’m still alive…?”

This time, the female protagonist's mouth fell shut. She forgot about her intention to get all angry at Yoongi, and stared blankly at the blood-red aquarium. "Red water." Yoongi's muttered words to himself came to mind.

민윤기

"Of course he's alive. I saved him."

연여주

"Don't be crazy. Don't you know there was a shark inside? I've seen a lot of people kill, but I've never seen a shark kill."

민윤기

"Did you forget I'm in the Navy? It should have all been in the information the chief gave you."

Quickly regaining his composure, Yoongi squeezed the water from his soaking wet clothes and answered calmly. His neck felt hot, as if he had a fever, but fortunately, it was dark and hard to see.

민윤기

"If you hit a shark in the nose, it'll faint. Well, I just stabbed it in the gills."

연여주

"A knife? Where did you get a knife?"

민윤기

"Those guys."

At the female lead's question, Yoongi nodded and pointed behind him. He hadn't seen them until just now, but now he saw that all the people in black suits were unconscious on the floor.

"It must be Psyche's person, after all." The female protagonist shifted her gaze to Yoon-ki, saying they were nothing special. "Navy..." I thought being a soldier turned police officer was all that mattered, but it turns out he has exceptional abilities.

민윤기

“…Why. What.”

Yoongi was the first to turn away from the heroine's gaze, which seemed to pierce his face. Perhaps because of what had happened earlier, he found it particularly difficult to meet her gaze today.

연여주

"Thank you. For saving my life."

민윤기

"……."

연여주

"I've fought people before, but never a shark. And with my eyes blindfolded and my hands tied, I thought I was going to die."

민윤기

"……."

연여주

"That's the end of the thanks. Aren't you going? Aren't other people waiting? They all said they were looking for me."

민윤기

“…Go. Don’t go and collapse.”

Yoon-ki followed behind Yeo-ju, who walked first. But that was only for a moment, as Yeo-ju, who had injured her knee, inevitably slowed her pace.

Not wanting to reveal her injuries to Yoon-gi, Yeo-ju gritted her teeth and leaned against the railing, walking slowly. Oh, thank goodness. If Yoon-gi had walked first, he would have discovered her enduring pain.

민윤기

"Why are you walking so late? Are you hurt?"

연여주

"What are you talking about? It's because the clothes are soaked with water. They're so heavy."

"I must have come wearing a hoodie," Yeoju replied calmly, her expression unwavering. She'd been clenching her teeth so hard she thought her molars were going to fall out, but she wasn't now, so it was okay.

전정국

"Yeon Yeo-ju!!!!!"

김남준

"Ms. Yeoju!!!!"

As I walked, leaning against the wall, I found myself back where I had fought Psyche. Hoseok and Namjoon ran towards Yeoju as soon as they saw her, while Hoseok stood there with a stern expression.

전정국

"Why were you in there!!! I knew it was a real idiot, but I didn't know it would be this idiot, seriously!!!!"

연여주

“No, I didn’t go in there on purpose… And what does this have to do with me being a traitor?”

김남준

"Do you know how surprised I was?!?! Why are you leaving your earphones behind!!! It's been a while since you joined the special investigation unit, and you can't do that one thing?!?!?"

연여주

“No… I didn’t drop it on purpose…….”

The constant squeezing from both sides made my head throbbing. Listening to these two, it felt like I could see the heroine entering the aquarium right in front of me, almost being eaten by a shark, and then being saved by Yoon-ki—all through the window.

I wondered why he was so worried, so I turned my gaze to the aquarium… .

연여주

"……."

Well, that makes sense. I deeply sympathized with their concerns. Seeing it from above was a whole different experience than seeing it head-on.

By the way, even after seeing Yeoju, Hoseok didn't approach her or speak to her. He just vaguely agreed with Jungkook and Namjoon's words, and when he approached Hoseok, he was still clenching his fists and bowing his head.

연여주

"What's wrong? What's wrong?"

정호석

"……."

연여주

"Why, what's going on?"

Warak–

As soon as Yeo-ju took another step toward Hoseok, he suddenly embraced her. The sudden pull caused a piercing pain in her shoulders and abdomen, but she didn't show it.

Hoseok's voice, muttering softly, was shaking too much to push away, saying it hurt.

정호석

“What happened to me?”

연여주

"……."

정호석

“…You almost died. If it weren’t for Yoongi hyung, you wouldn’t be here. Do you know how I felt, watching you here, surrounded by sharks, unable to do anything?”

연여주

“Mr. Hoseok… no, senior Hoseok.”

Hoseok's arm around Yeoju's shoulder tightened. Yeoju bit her lip tightly as a moan threatened to escape.

정호석

"You fell into the water, and a shark came at you. I don't know how many times it grazed you. You didn't even notice, you just kept struggling. Then, as if you'd found a knife in your pocket, you tried to untie the rope around your wrist, and you cut your hand too."

연여주

"……."

정호석

"You really… If Yoon-gi had been even a little bit slower or the shark had been even a little bit faster… you really might have died. No? You're dead."

연여주

“…Senior Hoseok.”

정호석

“I lost the female lead right before my eyes… I can’t lose you too… Please…….”

Yeoju felt her right shoulder growing warmer. Could Hoseok be shedding tears? Yeoju raised her left hand and gently patted Hoseok's back.

연여주

“…Listen carefully.”

정호석

"……."

연여주

"Kim Yeo-ju isn't dead. So it's not like you couldn't protect her, and it's not because of you. Kim Yeo-ju isn't dead."

정호석

“…That’s right… No, he’s dead….”

연여주

"I'm not finished speaking yet. This is the most important part. Open your ears and listen carefully."

정호석

"……."

Yeoju stopped patting Hoseok and pulled him toward her, hugging him. Hoseok lowered his head, his ear drawing closer to Yeoju's lips.

연여주

"I, Yeon Yeo-ju, will never die."

정호석

"……."

연여주

"How dare you kill me."

The two letters ‘dare’ were filled with strength.

연여주

"There is no one in this world who can touch what is mine, not just me. No, even if there was, I killed them."

정호석

“…Yeon Yeo-ju.”

연여주

"I am that kind of person."

The heroine, who had fallen from Hoseok's embrace, smiled faintly. Even though she was drenched in water and disfigured, and covered in wounds, she didn't look shabby at all.

No, she actually shone brighter. That's the kind of person she was.

연여주

"I promise. Even if I die, I'll die after you die."

It wasn't arrogance, it was confidence. Even if I didn't want to look pretty, I couldn't help but look pretty.

연여주

"I promise you. I will let you live without knowing guilt."

I suddenly realized the pain that had been weighing heavily on my heart. Ah, so that's why.

연여주

"If I can do it, I can do it."

Whenever I looked into her eyes, a feeling of love came to mind.

연여주

"Oh, over there."

"yes?"

연여주

"For those found here, please do not wipe off any white powder on your clothes, mouth, or face. Instead, place it in a plastic bag and store it."

“White… powder?”

연여주

"Yes. Oh, and medical staff, you must never inhale it or touch it with your hands. Please change into masks, gloves, and disposable clothing before doing so. If you do it wrong, you could become poisoned."

Yeoju spoke to the nurse who was putting people down and putting them on ventilators. Perhaps because the special investigation team contacted her directly, the nurses, along with the paramedics, were present, making it easier to communicate.

I didn't intentionally say it was like a drug. I heard from Yoon-ki that it had a very strong scent and that it was used differently from other drugs I knew.

It could be something else, so she couldn't rush to conclusions and terrorize the public. Well, the heroine actually suspects that the white powder is a new drug being developed in Kathartish.

“Oh, yes…! By the way, aren’t you going to the hospital?”

연여주

"Huh? Who? Me?"

“Yes. My shoulder is bleeding… I think you should come with me.”

Ah… It leaked through my clothes. I was relieved because it was a thick hoodie, but it was completely exposed. I smiled bashfully and said it was okay, but someone from behind gently placed a hand on the female protagonist's shoulder.

김남준

"See you at the hospital, Yeon Yeo-ju."

연여주

"…yes?"

bang!

Without even a moment to say anything, he shoved the female protagonist into the ambulance and closed the door. Panicking, the female protagonist couldn't even open the door, so she knocked and called out to Namjoon. Namjoon's face appeared through the back window.

김남준

"Get well soon after receiving treatment!!!"

The ambulance departed right away.

I'll count the comments one by one and let you know how many I have filled in! I won't count my own comments! I'm starting over, so please take care of me in the future!! 🙇🏻‍♂️

We won't be issuing separate warnings for spam comments in the future. For comments, please refer to the notice in the previous post!!

(Character count excluding Saddam)

⚠️Next episode will be serialized when 200 comments are received⚠️