Fate of the Moon

Hyejoo's been trying to work on focusing on the positive side of things.

Key word - trying.

But she finds it incredibly difficult to keep her mind and thoughts organized when she has a pyromaniac supposed to be held under a leash. 

(Ok, she's exaggerating, but Hyejoo's been internally struggling for the past 5 minutes.)

"Was it really a good idea to let her be our ambush?" Midnight's husk voice interrupts her train of thought and a part of Hyejoo's thanks him but the other wants to berate him for reminding her once again that she's practically left Yerim unsupervised.

"It's fine. If we can take care of it before things get messy, then she wouldn't have to attack." Hyejoo mumbles, taking quiet and careful steps towards the building. 

With the winter being at such a low - winds were nothing but a breeze, the bristling echoes of the trees were no more - it only made the be-discreet aspect of things, harder. With the silence, Hyejoo was sure her shoes crunching against the snow would be heard from within stores and that worried her.

"So you're only using her as a means of distracting herself?" Midnight's voice was bland and dead, and something about it being so straightforward ignites a tinge of frustration within Hyejoo.

"Be quiet." She snaps back, gritting her teeth. Hyejoo was tired, yearning for the comfort of her own bed, but she couldn't just walk back home - she had too many things to think about and to finish.

Hyejoo hid behind the brick wall, pressing her head further into the cold surface, in hopes to hear any type of movement. With the droning wind - which you could barely hear - you would think any noise would be as heightened and as loud as a microphone, but there was nothing. Just plain, nothing.

Not even a single thud of shoes or boots, no rustling of fumbling hands, no sharp little bells of jewelry scratching against each other - nothing.

It was almost as if there was no one there. Like the establishment had been left empty and deserted as it was from the moment it closed its doors. Only the whistling breeze swept the streets and Hyejoo was confused. Did I make a mistake? She wonders. 

Can't be. She saw a moving silhouette prance around in the store, breezing across the aisles and shifting its body against the glass cupboards. Her sight was no better than a pure bred animal, but it was surely more reliable than the standard human's. 

"Midnight, do you hear anything?" She whispers, crouching down to meet her companion's level. Surprisingly, Midnight shakes his head, thankfully not speaking to answer her.

Hyejoo wants to take a peak, to move her head ever so slightly to see if there really was any shadow that lurked in the jewelry store - but she didn't want to take a risk. A small risk, yes, but still a risk. If ever there was that damn silhouette still rummaging through the said aisles, Hyejoo peaking her head out will only give away her position - resulting into a chase that she'd much rather avoid.

Hyejoo meets Midnight's golden eyes and gestured him to look, to which he did without question. He was an animal, a wolf, his senses were more than the standard human's, making things a little easier for Hyejoo - hopefully. 

A few seconds later, he comes back, trudging towards her at an ample pace. "Nothing." He huffs, "Maybe you made a mistake?" He mutters and Hyejoo wishes to hell that she didn't. 

(One, because she sure is itching for some action after sitting idle on a makeshift chair in the damn cold. Second, she knows Midnight will only mock her for her failed sight and most likely tease for losing her touch.)

"I didn't." Hyejoo grunts, "I sure as hell saw something move." She adds, her feet twisting against the snow, making that pleasant crunch.

"I don't smell anything either Oli." Midnight's voice was hushed and merely a growl in the wind, but Hyejoo can hear the surfacing tease that hid in his voice. If it hadn't been from the silence and their current task, Hyejoo would scold Midnight.

Hyejoo sighed, leaning her head against the brick wall, "But I saw something Midnight - and I'm not losing touch-" She was quick to shut down Midnight's upcoming retort, "-Maybe, whoever it was, went the other way. Maybe we were too late?"

Midnight let out a huff, a wisp of air leaving his snout, "That's worst than mistaking a silhouette for a hanging jacket, Oli." He lays down, his canine body lowering itself onto a mound of snow. He rests his chin against his paws, curling into his own frame.

Hyejoo groaned, though making sure to be quiet, "That doesn't make sense. I know I saw something move. I'm sure of it."

Midnight closes his eyes, the golden glow of it diminishing as he does so, "Is that your gut telling you? Or your sleep deprecation?" The way he says it only sets off a button of frustration within Hyejoo and it takes everything in her to bite back an argument. 

Hyejoo doesn't sit down beside Midnight - she'd much rather let the pain of standing get to her than sit on the cold floor where her pants would get wet - and instead tries to catch any other sort of movement. She tries to press her ear closer to the shop window, hoping to catch anything that screams attention. 

(Hyejoo would never admit it, but Hyunjin has much better hearing than she ever did and she desperately wishes she were here right now.)

She hears rustling beside her and Hyejoo assumes that her companion is starting to stir in his position. "Hang on-" Hyejoo turns to Midnight, eyes full of question and slight determination, "I think I hear-"

"I-I'm sorry alright-!" An ugly scream follows right after and Hyejoo doesn't know whether to jump in joy or to pull at her hair in fear of what she thinks caused that scream.

Midnight raises his head, "Looks like your friend needs help." He stands on his four legs, wriggling his fur of the snow that dusted against it.

Hyejoo grunted, "It's probably the other way around." She pushes off of her legs, and Midnight was right, the jewelry store was vacant and there was no sign of life. 

Well, at least I was right about the intruder.

Hyejoo let out a sigh, turning on the sharp edge of the building, hoping that she's fast enough to reach whatever it is that's happening before another building has a charred hole on its brick wall.

The lack of sound that echoed in the streets, the mere wind being the only one that brushed her ears, was concerning, to say the least. With not a single sign of footsteps, not even any sign of fighting or whatnot, Hyejoo is worried.

And not about Yerim.

"Midnight, when we get there, pull Yerim off as soon as you can." She mutters, quickening her pace.

Midnight only grunts in response as he follows tightly behind her. His hind legs pushed against the snow and Hyejoo was sure their presence was most likely already noticed. She didn't mind, the only thing on her mind right now was to get to the scene as quick as she could.

(Don't get her wrong, albeit showing her disinterest in Yerim, she knows that the new hero wouldn't be able to kill someone - judging from her cheery attitude. She's just worried about property damage, more than anything.)

Hyejoo turned a sharp corner, and dug her foot into the ground as she steadied herself, "Get off hi-!" 

Her voice died in her throat as she saw nothing but complete silence.

In the dim lit lamp that hung, there was a man scuffling towards the building wall, practically hugging it's cold surface as his mouth spewed with nonsense. His eyes were wide open and his whole body was shaking - Hyejoo wonders if it's because of the cold or if it's out of fear.

Hyejoo was about to approach him, wanting to find answers, but at the corner of her eye she saw a familiar brunette stand rather stiffly in front of a wall. She disregarded the man, gesturing Midnight to guard him, and turned towards Yerim.

Her mouth opened to berate her, about to let her lips run faster than her mind, but all of her words were caught in the back of her throat when she saw what Yerim was staring at.

On the brick wall, there was a large scale painting of that same emblem. Sloppily drawn into the surface, it's paint dry against the rough brick. It was bright red, contrasting the white that laid on the ground, and it was towering over them.

A large circle shone against the moonlight, it's blood red palette glowing against the reflection. The line that was drawn across, piercing the middle of the circle, was bold and thick, as if wanting attention from anyone passing by. 

But it was still hidden well - hidden beneath the alley ways that were buried deep behind buildings. It was almost like a treasure hunt, a symbol that seemed so large and obvious was hidden and only reserved for those who were meant to find it.

Yerim didn't budge, staring straight up at it and Hyejoo figures she too was a little surprised by the engraved emblem. Wanting to understand this - and ignore the bubbling frustration - she turned to the man, snapping her head towards him, "Did you draw this?"

He shook his head, his wet hair whipping from left to right, "I didn't! I don't even know what that symbol is, man! I-I promise!" He was practically gasping for his words, his hands shooting up as he planted himself flat across the wall.

Hyejoo's fists clenched. She started walking at a slow pace towards him, eyes narrowing, "Then who else could've done it aside from you? You're the only one here and I'm sure as hell she-" Hyejoo gestures to Yerim, "-Wouldn't draw that." There was evident venom in her voice.

The man gulped, his damp hair sticking rather close to his forehead even when the weather had been cold. He shook his head again, trembling against his ragged coat, "L-Look, I-I don't even know what that is! I don't even have any spray paint with me either!" He shrieked, his eyes switching between Midnight's and Hyejoo's.

"Then why are you here?" Hyejoo crosses her arms. She doesn't want to scare the guy any further, knowing he might just faint before they even get answers.

He swallowed a lump in his throat, "I-I was supposed to meet someone here." He let out a shaky breath, "Th-They said I can get some cash if I did this challenge o-or something, I swear that's it!" 

"Is that why you were in the jewelry store?" Hyejoo raised an eyebrow, and she fought the urge to roll her eyes, "Did you even steal anything?"

"N-No! Y-You can check my bag a-and jacket - I have nothing!" His trembling hands gripped his coat, about to shake it off his shoulders but Hyejoo was quick to stop him. The sheer fear in his eyes seemed genuine enough. 

Hyejoo sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Explain then. Why are you here."

"I-I just did-" He met Hyejoo's eyes, and straightened up, "I-I was online, looking for some jobs, you know? A-And then I came across this website where it says I can get cash if I just played the game. I tried it and then I-I got a phone call - it was for the instructions." He cleared his throat, "I break into this jewelry store - no stealing - and meet with them at the back of the alleyway-"

"You must be an idiot." Hyejoo mumbled.

"-And said that if I see that symbol then you know, the cash would be there." He wearily pointed to the blood red symbol plastered across the wall, but he kept his head low under Hyejoo's gaze.

"Who was it that called you?"

"They didn't tell me.."

"You-" Hyejoo felt her temple twitch in frustration, "You followed shady instructions without knowing who was giving it?!"

"I'm desperate for money ok!" He shrieked, and Hyejoo saw tears slowly build up in the corner of the man's eyes. "I can give you my phone, h-here." He fumbled around in his pockets, quick to take it out and kicked it towards Hyejoo's boots.

Hyejoo looked down, and watched it but figure she'll pick it up later. Fingerprints are fingerprints, and she doesn't want to ruin the only evidence they have of whoever decided to construct this game. 

Though, Hyejoo's certain this isn't someone they'll so easily catch with a phone.

"Did the instructor tell you anything else?"

"N-Not really." The man gulped, "A-Actually, there was one!"

"What is it?" Hyejoo narrowed her eyes.

"I'll tell you if you'll let me go after-"

"Tell me now or my companion will use you as his chew toy." Hyejoo growled. 

"Ok! Ok!" He waved his hands, nodding, "The phone guy said that wherever that symbol is, he'll always be there. Or something like that - I-I dunno, he was kinda cryptic but that's what he basically meant." 

Hyejoo's eyes widened, "So you're saying they're suppose to be here?"

"Yeah.. but they're late. Like really late. I tried calling them but the phone keeps leading to a dead number." The man scratched his temple, a frown forming. 

Same emblem, similar to that footage with him. 

This instructor might be our guy. 

"Anything else?" Hyejoo turned to him.

He shook his head, "N-No! Th-That's all I got!" He scrambles back against the wall, his hands flat against the cold surface, gulping when Hyejoo's eyes stayed on him, as if ripping off any confidence he had left to give - which wasn't very much to begin with.

"Midnight, stay with him until the police arrive." Hyejoo sighs, turning her head away.

"W-wait! I gave you everything you wanted-" He moves forward with his knees, "Why can't you just let me go?!" His voice broke, and his eyes expressed both betrayal and worry.

"Relax." Hyejoo sighed, "You'll only be taken in for questioning." She turns away, ignoring his protests and his complaints.

(He soon closed his mouth when Midnight had walked towards him, the canine's golden eyes practically boring into his own, tearing apart his voice and his walls, making them crumble as Midnight glared at him.)

"Hey." She calls out once. Hyejoo stands a few feet behind her, her arms by her side. 

Yerim doesn't budge, instead she kept looking up at the bright red mark plastered across the wall. Hyejoo finds herself doing the same thing, staring at it and feeling a rush of electricity run through her nerves when she realizes the culprit is more or less connected to the very owners of the symbol. 

Such a simple yet haunting reminder. 

Hyejoo shakes away from her trance but Yerim was still caught in a daze. "Hey, we need to go." She calls out, this time her voice is a little louder and stern, solidifying against the whistles of the wind. 

Yerim still doesn't move.

Sighing, Hyejoo walks up to Yerim's shoulder, her hand clamping down onto the latter as a forceful way to kick her out of a trance. "Hey."

Yerim jumped, her shoulders jerking away from Hyejoo's touch as she turned to meet her partner's confused eyes. She blinks a few times, watching Hyejoo stare back at her, "Ah, sorry, you were callin- wait, I got the guy-!" Yerim snaps her body around, her hand pointing to the wall behind but stops when she sees a wolf guarding the man she had held up with such certainty. 

"I know. I see that." Hyejoo answers back, as if seeing Midnight isn't enough to make it clear.

Yerim offers Hyejoo a lopsided smile, scratching the back of her neck as her eyes scanned the area, making sure she didn't cause anything to burn amidst her mission, of some sort. "I didn't burn anything." She pipes up, crossing her arms. 

Hyejoo nods, "You scared the guy to death, what did you do?" 

"Well, he wouldn't stop trying to run away even when I blocked him so I kinda just.." Yerim cleared her throat "...threatened him?" 

Hyejoo nods again, this time running her fingers down her face as she let out a sigh, "Figures." She mutters, glancing at their culprit, who had his mouth shut and hands on his knees as Midnight continued to watch him.

"Is that your pet?"

"Not my pet. My quirk." Hyejoo corrects.

"Right." Yerim could only see Midnight's back, but judging the way the canine sat up straight, it's ears perked high, she could almost feel the thick tension from where she was standing.

Hyejoo turns to the large painting - of some sort, it isn't really a painting, more like graffiti if she had to describe it - and holds in the burning fury slowly growing in the base of her chest. She pays attention to her mind, playing Haseul's words over and over like a broken record. 

"This is the same one we saw.. right?" Yerim's voice was small and hushed, as if there were people who could hear them.

"I think so." Hyejoo hums, "If it is then that just confirms that they're.." Hyejoo doesn't finish her sentence, letting Yerim fill in the blank for herself.

Though it seems like it doesn't matter as Yerim doesn't seem to be listening anyways. Her eyes stay planted on the wall, eyes slightly wide and her irises rather narrowing on the symbol itself. Hyejoo wants to ask her why she was so intrigued, but decides against it. 

"C'mon we need to go." Hyejoo yawns, "I took a picture and I got the phone that our culprit gave. Now all we need to do is just bring him there." Hyejoo waits for Yerim to respond but she didn't. Again.

"Yerim."

"Right!" Yerim snaps her head towards her and the quick change of demeanor almost scares Hyejoo if it weren't for the way Yerim had to shake her head to bring herself back. "I'll help." She smiles, though it was twitching slightly.

"Of course you will." Hyejoo scoffs.

Yerim rolls her eyes, "Yeah yeah, just say thank you." She grumbles as she walks towards Midnight and the man. 

Hyejoo looks back at the symbol, but she doesn't pay it any more attention than it deserves. Her mind was already in a haze with the recent events, and her heart was pulling in the direction she knows will bring harm. She looks away, following behind Yerim's footsteps.

Hyejoo hears a spark and for a second she thought it came from Yerim but she quickly disregards it.