Between Fire and Smoke

The quiet was shattered by the shot, a splintering crack that froze Seo-yeon's breath in her throat.

Before she could even respond, Joon-woo had shifted, quick and reflexive, his hand closing around her wrist as he pulled her behind him.

The bullet hit the mirror across the room, shattering pieces of glass raining down like shattered stars onto the mirrored marble floor. There was the faint tang of gunpowder in the air, acrid and metallic.

Hyun-soo was in the doorway, still holding the gun, his face expressionless, unnervingly calm amidst all the commotion around them. 

"Seo-yeon, move back," Joon-woo commanded, voice sharp and abrupt. 

She didn't, though. She couldn't. 

She was stuck still, her heartbeat pounding against the confines of her ribs, not because she was scared but because she realized something. 

Hyun-soo had intentionally missed.

Not due to hesitation. Not due to uncertainty.