. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ not left behind
a calloused hand laid atop warm sunset hair, a comforting gesture for a daughter in distress. “jin-ah, this change only brings new beginnings,” he reminded her, as well as himself. it didn’t seem that long ago that he was being told those words by someone else, the loss of yet another home behind him.
seo hyunshik is a good father. at the very least, he tries his hardest to be. though he may not fully believe the words he is repeating to his daughter, he knows it’s what he should say. That’s the way it seems anyway when that’s what everyone else says when faced with a change.
“but i…” though no longer small herself, the words were coming from his little girl once again, “i don’t want to leave mama.”
suddenly, he is reminded of wild hair and the soft smell of the ocean that lasted even though the shore was no longer in reach. the kindness of open arms and unwavering backup and raspberry jam.
“i swear, the scope is off! it hit the ground when i had to engage and now i can’t hit any of my targets. and i. don’t. miss.” she punctuated her final words with frustrated jabs at the table she was standing over.
“you’re very confident in that considering i can’t find a single thing wrong with this weapon, agent,” fired back the equally frustrated technical agent. soohee had been pestering the guy endlessly for almost three days now despite his insistence there was nothing wrong. “i would once again suggest, if you are so unhappy with the state of this gun, to simply select a new one. i assure you, we have plenty in our arsenal.”
“it’s not that simple! my team’s lives are laid in my hands out there and i don’t have the time to fully break in a completely new weapon with grip and scope and weight, it will take ages! i’ve been using this gun since i started sniping, probably longer than you’ve even been here!” agent paradise was relentless, and would not allow any of her team members to die at the hands of (in her opinion) a clearly incompetent technical agent.
“in that case, it’s likely outdated anyway–”
“don’t you say that about her, she is perfectly capable!” she cut him off, the argument devolving even further into shouts and pointing fingers.
“are you having a problem over here, agent velocity?” hyunshik, all fiery hair and broad shoulders, finally interjected.
the red-faced agent opened his mouth to respond, but soohee cut in anyway, despite not exactly being addressed. “good afternoon, i’m agent paradise, and the scope on my rifle has been knocked off course. i haven’t been able to get it fixed, but it’s urgent before i can return to the field.”
hyunshik nodded, an amused half smile at the speed and passion in which the words tumbled out of the woman’s mouth. “i’m sure i can take care of that for you. agent vulcan,” he extended his hand to shake hers.
“i’ve looked at this weapon countless times, and nothing is wrong with it! i’ve triple checked the specs twice and everything is in order,” agent velocity attempted to assure his colleague as soohee handed over the gun she had previously ripped from the table.
“is that so?” he asked absentmindedly, observing every aspect of the rifle in his hands. he made sure it was unloaded before taking a look through the scope, aiming at different points around the room.
“he says that, but every time i try it, it’s still wrong and i–” agent paradise began but was cut off by the dull clang of vulcan swinging his hand back and smacking it against the scope. he glanced through once more to double check before handing her weapon back.
“that’s it?” she asked, mouth slightly agape.
“give it a try and let me know,” he grinned, nodding towards the shooting range.
his smile made her own grow on her cheeks, their fingers brushing as she took her trusty rifle back into her own hands, “thank you.”
“your mama will not be left behind. she would never let that happen,” he gives his daughter a comforting smile, but there is a tinge of sadness in his eyes. “she's here in your head, and she's here in your hands when you shoot, and she's here in your heart,” in turn, he pointed at her forehead, her fingers, and her chest. “you may leave behind this house or this place, but you will never leave behind her.”
