The Weapon Genius: Anything I Hold Can Kill-Chapter 17: A Brother Lost & Found

Seul-ki's breath hitched.

Her whole body locked up, like her mind had suddenly stopped working.

Jin had seen fear.

Had seen people fall apart.

But this—

This was different.

This wasn't fear.

It was something deeper.

Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.

Jin saw her throat move, like she was trying to swallow something heavy.

Her fingers twitched at her sides, nails digging into her palms.

She took a step forward—hesitant, shaky.

Her knees almost buckled.

"...Chul?"

Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

It carried no certainty.

Only doubt.

Like she didn't fully believe what she was seeing.

Like the moment she blinked, he would disappear.

The boy—curled up against the far wall, hoodie drawn low—didn't respond.

Didn't move.

Didn't even flinch.

Seul-ki took another step.

Then another.

Each one quieter.

Like if she moved too fast, the illusion would shatter.

Echo shifted slightly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Joon-seok exhaled, slow, controlled—but tense.

Neither of them said anything.

Because what could they say?

Jin himself didn't move.

Didn't speak.

He just watched.

And the longer he did—

The more he realized something was wrong.

Chul's body was hunched in on itself, arms wrapped around his knees.

Not sleeping.

Not resting.

Just curled in, like he was trying to make himself as small as possible.

His hoodie was stained. Torn at the edges.

Jin's eyes flicked lower.

His hands were gripping his own sleeves—fingers pressing down hard enough to shake.

His breathing was wrong.

Shallow. Too quick.

Like someone who had been running for days and had suddenly lost the ability to stop.

Jin felt something sink in.

They had seen death.

Had fought monsters, had bled, had barely survived.

And yet—

They were still standing.

Still moving.

Still talking.

But not everyone had made it through like they had.

Some people shattered.

Some people, even if they survived, were already gone.

Jin suddenly remembered the person in the stairwell.

The one he couldn't save.

The screams had been cut off too fast.

The sound of flesh hitting concrete as the fourth-floor survivors had been crushed beneath the rubble.

The weight of a blade in his hand as he fought someone who thought she was helping people.

Jin forced himself back to the present.

He had no idea what Chul had seen.

But looking at him now—

Jin could guess it was just as bad.

Seul-ki lowered herself to her knees, hands shaking.

She reached out—hesitated—then touched his sleeve.

"Chul..."

The second her fingers made contact—

He flinched violently.

His breath hitched sharply, and before anyone could react, his arms snapped forward.

He grabbed Seul-ki's shoulders, pulling her close.

Jin tensed on instinct—his body moving before his mind caught up.

But Chul wasn't attacking.

He was shaking.

His arms tightened around her like she would disappear if he let go.

His breath came out ragged, choked—

And when he spoke—

It was frantic.

"Seul—Seul-ki—oh, God, you're alive—"

His voice cracked.

Jin had never heard someone sound that broken before.

Seul-ki let out a soft gasp, her body stiffening.

For a second, she didn't react.

Didn't move.

Didn't breathe.

Then—

Her hands clutched at his sleeves, gripping him just as tightly.

"Chul," she whispered, voice trembling. "You—you're okay."

Chul let out something between a laugh and a sob.

"I—I thought you were dead."

His fingers tightened against her arms, his whole body trembling.

"I was looking—I was looking everywhere—I thought—"

He buried his face against her shoulder, shaking.

Seul-ki's breath hitched.

She raised a hand, fingers lightly threading through his messy, sweat-damp hair.

"I'm here," she whispered. "I'm here."

No one said anything.

Jin, Echo, and Joon stood frozen, watching the scene unfold in front of them.

Jin's hands twitched slightly.

He wasn't used to this.

The kind of grief that came from finding someone you thought was gone.

He glanced at Echo, who just let out a breath and rubbed the back of his neck.

Joon-seok's arms were crossed, expression unreadable.

None of them had a place in this moment.

But none of them could look away.

Seul-ki finally pulled back just enough to look at him.

Her eyes were glassier now, her breath unsteady.

"Chul," she whispered. "What happened? How did you get here?"

Chul's grip on her sleeves didn't loosen.

His eyes flickered slightly.

Like his mind had to drag itself back to the beginning.

Then—

His shoulders tensed.

"...I was coming to look for you at work when the system activated," he murmured, voice low, almost hollow now.

Then—a shuddering breath.

"Then they—came out of nowhere."

Seul-ki stiffened. "The monsters?"

Chul shook his head.

"No. The people."

Jin's stomach twisted slightly.

Chul swallowed, voice dropping.

"I ran into a group," he said, voice hoarse. "At first, they—they were just like me. Just trying to survive. But then... people started talking about the system. About the quest."

Seul-ki's hands tightened around his arms.

Chul let out a breath.

"They started looking at each other differently. At first, I thought—I thought I was imagining it. But then, one of them got separated—this older guy. And they—"

His voice cut off.

For a long second, no one spoke.

Jin already knew how that sentence ended.

He felt the answer in the silence.

Seul-ki shook her head, barely whispering, "No..."

Chul licked his lips, exhaling sharply.

"That's when I ran."

Chul's voice was quieter now.

"I didn't stop running. I didn't know where I was going—I just needed to get away."

His hands twitched slightly, like his body was reliving it.

"The only thing I could think was home. Maybe you—maybe Mom and Dad—"

His words wavered.

Seul-ki swallowed hard.

Chul didn't say it.

But it was clear.

He never found them.

He let out a slow breath, eyes dark.

"...Then I saw the station."

His jaw clenched slightly.

"There was nothing left outside. Just broken cars, blood, pieces of bodies that—"

He cut himself off, shaking his head.

"I thought maybe you—" His breath hitched. "I thought maybe you were already dead."

Seul-ki's fingers curled against his arms.

Jin saw the way her whole body tensed.

"...But you still came here," she whispered.

Chul nodded slowly.

"I didn't know where else to go."

His voice was softer now.

Like he was finally letting the exhaustion hit him.

Jin exhaled slowly, fingers flexing at his sides.

He understood now.

Chul had been running ever since it started.

Running from people who wanted to survive at any cost.

Running from what happened to the streets.

Running from the idea that he had no one left.

And yet—

Here he was.

Jin should have felt relieved.

That it was just a brother finding his sister.

That it was just someone broken by what they'd seen.

But something wouldn't let him relax.

Because even now—even after finding Seul-ki—

Chul still kept looking over his shoulder.

Still kept staring at the doors.

Like he wasn't sure he was safe yet.

Chul had stopped shaking.

But he still wasn't calm.

His fingers were still curled too tight in Seul-ki's sleeves.

His breaths were still too quick, too shallow.

Even as she whispered, "You're safe now. It's okay,"

Even as she held onto him—he didn't relax.

Because his eyes—

They kept darting to the barricades.

To the doors.

To every dark corner of the station.

Jin saw it.

And so did Echo.

The moment their gazes met, Jin knew Echo had picked up on it too.

Joon-seok exhaled slowly, shifting slightly where he sat.

For the first time since Chul started talking, he spoke.

"...Why do you keep looking over there?"

Chul's breath hitched.

For a second, he didn't answer.

Then—

His fingers twitched against Seul-ki's arms.

"I just—"

He swallowed.

His voice was quieter now.

"...I keep thinking they're gonna show up."

Seul-ki frowned. "Who?"

Chul licked his lips, exhaling sharply.

"The ones I ran from," he murmured. "I—I don't know how far they got. If they... if they made it here."

His shoulders tensed again.

"I thought I lost them, but—I don't know."

His hands curled into fists.

"They were hurting people and watching them die like it was nothing. They—" His breath hitched. "They liked it."

Seul-ki shook her head.

"They're not here," she whispered. "You're okay now."

Chul didn't say anything.

But Jin saw it.

The doubt in his eyes.

Like he wasn't sure.

Like he was still waiting for something to go wrong.

Jin exhaled slowly, leaning back against the desk.

He tried to shake it off.

Tried to tell himself this was normal.

Of course, Chul was still on edge.

He'd barely survived. He'd been running for hours, thinking he'd lost everything.

It made sense.

And yet—

Jin's instincts wouldn't settle.

Something felt wrong.

He wasn't sure what.

He wasn't sure why.

But something was coming.

And he wasn't convinced they were safe yet.

Jin exhaled slowly, letting his head tilt back against the desk.

His whole body felt heavier now.

The dull throb in his ribs. The ache in his arms. The weight dragging at his eyelids.

Now that they weren't moving, running, fighting—

It was catching up to him.

He could feel every second of it now.

Echo let out a breath beside him. "So, uh... we sleeping in shifts, or just hoping nobody stabs us in the night?"

Joon-seok rubbed a hand down his face. "Cops are armed. I doubt anyone's pulling shit in here."

"Yeah, but what about out there?" Echo nodded toward the doors.

Jin didn't answer.

Because he knew Echo was just voicing what they were all thinking.

They were inside.

But that didn't mean they were safe.

Jin's gaze flicked back toward Chul.

His shoulders were still drawn tight.

His hands still gripped his sleeves.

Seul-ki hadn't moved from his side, and her voice was still low, quiet, reassuring.

But even with her right there—Chul kept looking at the doors.

Jin clenched his jaw.

He had no proof.

No real reason to feel like something was coming.

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But the feeling wouldn't leave.

Joon-seok let out a sigh. "We'll figure it out tomorrow."

Echo stretched out, cracking his neck. "If we live to see tomorrow."

Jin ignored them.

His arms felt like lead.

His vision blurred at the edges.

The last thing he saw was Chul still watching the doors.

Then—

Darkness.