For Seonghwa, the next several seconds felt like an eternity while he waited for the doors in front of him to open.

On the other side of it was the greatest opponent he would ever face. One who directly threatened the man he had fallen in love with and the group of men who had accepted him despite his past and all his flaws.

But, on the other side of the door was also the man who had raised him, who had loved him in his own way, and who had promised him a life full of everything he had every wanted.

And to some extent that had been true. Seonghwa had grown up getting everything. He never had to worry about food on the table or his father saying no to something he wanted.

There was no doubting the affection his father held for him, too. While work was a priority, he always made time for Seonghwa, whether it was having meals together or teaching Seonghwa how to fight, shoot, and drive, they had what could be considered a fairly standard father and son relationship.

How was he supposed to kill the man who raised him?

Seonghwa felt like he was being torn in half. What was he supposed to do? Why did he have to be so weak...?

With his next inhale, the doors opened, swinging inward and revealing his father's office.

Jongho walked inside and waited until he was in the middle of the room before dumping Wooyoung on the floor.

Seonghwa moved to hurry forward but he was held back by the Pack member behind him. A small grunt escaped him and he was prepared to struggle, but another movement forced him to pause.

A chill fell over the room as Mercer rose from his desk. He looked just as calm and collected as he always did, falling under the mask he had taught Seonghwa to perfect. Giving away any sign of emotion was deadly.

He took a moment to scan the room, taking in each person one by one.

"Is this all?" His eyes narrowed just enough that most would miss the action, but Seonghwa could see immediately that his father was upset.

So his mask was as perfect as he thought.

Jongho opened his mouth to speak while looking over his shoulder, then paused. "Where is the other one?" He turned to one of the other Pack members. "What happened?!"

Everyone started shuffling around a little and a few of the members tried to utter excuses. The fact that they hadn't noticed Yeosang slipping away was a blessing up until now, but now it would only serve to push his father over the edge.

"Fools!" His father slammed his hands against his desk, capturing everyone's attention. "FIND THEM!"

Several men and women ran from the room, barking orders at each other as they went.

"There is only one missing, Sir." Jongho turned back around and bowed his head. "He must have slipped away when this one," he nudged Wooyoung with his foot, "Started to cause a scene."

Mercer's eyes flicked down and the room became even colder as a truly malicious smile twisted his face. "Ah, my little pet." Venom laced his words. Each step he took brought him closer to the object of his obsession.

Seeing this man... this monster... Seonghwa wouldn't stand for it.

"Don't you dare touch him." Seonghwa hissed. He tried once more to pull away from his captor, but his words alone had done the trick.

His father stopped in his tracks and finally met Seonghwa's eyes. For a moment, it almost looked like there was pain in the dark gaze, but Seonghwa threw up walls around his heart to protect himself.

He had chosen.

That one, single moment his father had looked upon Wooyoung... it was all he needed to pick his side.

His love for Wooyoung, no matter how twisted or how messed up the beginning of it had been, was absolute.

"Don't you DARE TOUCH HIM!!"

"Is that any way to speak to your father?" Mercer narrowed his eyes once more and clenched his fists. "Is that what you really want to say to me after being apart?" His voice faltered. "Son..."

"No." Seonghwa tilted his head back in the exact manner he knew his father used to intimidate others. "I may have been once, but I've come to realize your lies!"

Mercer's lip curled up in a wicked snarl, then he snapped his fingers three times.

Several things happened all at once.

Seonghwa, Mingi, and Hongjoong were all kicked in the back of their knees so they fell to the floor.

Jongho spun around and threw his arm around San's neck to pull him into a headlock, pinning him against Jongho's side.

Wooyoung rolled over and propped himself on his knees and bowed his head in submission.

When everyone stilled... Mercer started to laugh. "You really thought you could beat me? ME? When I control all of this?" He held his arms out wide as if to motion to the entire underground fortress he had built. "You have NO idea what fools you have been! But that's fine, I now rule this world, and if I wanted to I could just reset the clock once more. I hold all the power. You've lost!"

Mercer reached down to Wooyoung and grabbed his chin, holding it hard enough to make the boy whimper. Seonghwa felt his anger growing but there was nothing he could do, not with his arms trapped behind his back.

Then another voice shattered the silence.

"LET GO OF HIM!"

.

.

.

.

"All the bombs are set!" Yeosang called out while slipping back into the Illusion. "Head back toward the exit, we need to get out of here then I will set them off."

"Got it. Buckle up." Yunho growled while shifting gears. He yanked on the wheel so that the car spun in a tight circle before slamming the gas. "We will need to find another exit since they blocked the tunnel."

"Already on it." Yeosang opened up his laptop and sent out his drones to scan the floor they were on. It was big enough, there had to be another way out.

If not, then there was no escape...

In hindsight, blocking off their pursuers also sealed off the main exit.

"There's a service elevator on the far north side!" Yeosang said after several seconds. "Going over my scans again I can't believe I missed it, but it is small. I think only a couple of us will fit at a time and it will be like working a dumbwaiter in a mansion."

Yunho let out a harsh sigh. "Figures." He tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

"I'm sorry." Yeosang looked over at the driver and placed a hand on his arm. "Really."

"It's fine. No big deal. I can always make another one." Even though he sounded confident, Yeosang knew Yunho well enough that he could easily identify he was upset at the idea of having to leave his car behind after being reunited with it.

"She served us well." Yeosang moved his hand from Yunho's arm to pat the dashboard a couple of times. "Let's give her one last run, yeah?"

Yunho's lip tilted up in an amused smile. "Oh you betcha." He opened up the throttle and let the engine roar.

Yeosang laughed and leaned back in his seat. "That's it! Alright we just need to get out of here and back to the main tunnel. If we can follow the hall they took the others down, that will also lead us to the service hatch."

"And how many Pack members stand between us and them?"

"Too many."

"So what do we do?"

Yeosang sighed and shook his dead. "I don't like it but... what if we use the bombs as a trap?" His stomach sank and for a moment he almost felt like he would be sick.

"What do you mean?" Yunho slowed down a little.

"What if... I only set off half the bombs to start with."

The weight of Yeosang's thoughts fell over them like a blanket. To some extent, they had already accepted that several people were going to die today. There were still at least a hundred people on the lower floors that they were planning on trapping there.

But that was the thing. They would only be trapped.

If they worked together there was always the possibility they could free themselves, and by then the hope was they would make a better choice with their life once they learned Mercer had died.

What Yeosang was thinking about now, though, was manslaughter...

Yunho must have had the same thought because he let the car slow to a stop. "Sangie..."

"I know." Tears came to Yeosang's eyes and his hands, his trusty every faithful hands, started to shake. "I know... b-but... what else can we do? They have the others. They h-have J-J-Jongho."

"Hey," Yunho grabbed Yeosang's hand in his own. "Deep breath. None of this is easy..."

"Will it be worth it?" The hacker shook his head. "All those deaths? All the suffering? C-Can I really do that? Knowing I'll be luring them to their deaths?"

As expected Yunho didn't answer right away. They sat there for several more minutes. Several precious minutes that meant their friends and loved ones were getting closer and closer to their deaths.

Yeosang's heart pounded against his ribcage. Could he really become a mass murderer?

Then Yunho surprised him by speaking up. "I'll do it..."

"What?" Yeosang's head snapped up and he looked at the man sitting next to him. Yunho had been one of the reasons Yeosang was so willing to give Mingi a chance and listen to his story. There was something about the driver that gave him a good first impression.

Yunho was strong. He had been hardened after having to deal with his sister. Is that why he thought he could do this?

"I can do it. When the time comes. I'll press the button." Yunho met his eyes with a soft look in his own. "I'll bear the weight so you don't have to."

Yeosang was speechless. There was no way he could ask his friend to take on that kind of burden. Not when it was his own idea.

"It's ok, Sangie. You're not a killer. You never have been according to Mingi. It's not in your nature, and I'm sure all the others would agree with me." Yunho turned back to stare at his dashboard and ran his hand over it, almost as if he were saying goodbye to an old friend or lover. "But I have killed. And... I can forgive myself if I have to do this. I haven't lived a full life, especially since Yuri died. I've done so many awful things..."

"But that doesn't matter!"

"No, it doesn't." Yunho's head fell back to rest against his seat. Then he smiled, looking like he wasn't about to kill hundreds of people. "Because I know San will forgive me. After all we've been through, all the death, pain, and suffering, I will forgive him for his sins and he will forgive mine. At this point, I already know I'm going to Hell, if that even exists. So... His forgiveness is enough for me."

Yeosang felt his mouth open a little in shock. He had never heard Yunho speak like this before, but every word filled Yeosang with an emotion he couldn't describe. Was it hope? Content? Acceptance?

Whatever it was, Yeosang found himself looking back at his computer where the program to set of the bombs was still waiting for him to key in the commands.

"We already have everything set in motion." Yunho said. "These people have murdered thousands. If we don't do this, how many more will die? And you want to save Jongho, right?"

Yes. There was no other option. Yeosang would do anything for Jongho.

"Then when the time comes tell me what to press and I'll do it. I can live with myself and my actions."

For a moment, Yeosang wanted to argue with the driver further, but he knew Yunho was right.

Whatever happened next, they would all have to live with their actions.

"Thank you." The hacker whispered. "Let's do this."

"Alright. You set off the first one, then once you're ready, I'll do the rest." Yunho nodded once, then pressed his car forward to its top speed within seconds.

Yeosang took a deep breath. He watched them on his radar and when they hit the perfect spot, he entered in the first code they needed.

Then behind them, everything lit up in brilliant colors of yellow and orange.