[2] Code: RIOT || KTH

Ch23: Lost My Way

Taehyung knows exactly where to find Seokjin, and so he does. The latter is at the site where the experimental laboratory used to beㅡthe one where they killed his motherㅡwhich is now nothing but an abandoned building that used to be a crime scene not too long ago. The blood is still on the walls, and so is the yellow tape of the police.

Seokjin is at the rooftop when Taehyung finds him, silently watching the backyard where there were burnt bodies scattered all over it not too long ago. Now all there's left is ash and blood.

Standing beside Seokjin silently, Taehyung stays quiet, their hair swaying and their clothes fluttering with the cold wind. Taehyung looks up at the dark starless sky where the clouds have cast a shadow over the moon. He wonders if the sky had always been this starless at night. 

"You took her, didn't you?" Seokjin asks calmly, staring at the distance.

Taehyung merely hums in response, his hands in his pockets, and they fall silent for a few more minutes.

Taehyung isn't scared. Not that he's some brave hero or anything. He just knows for sure there's no way Seokjin would hurt him. Afterall, he swore to protect him when they were kids, and Taehyung can still catch a glimpse of that young lost boy when he looks in his friend's eyes.

"I'm not going to lie to you," Seokjin says out of the blue, "When I first planned this, what I had in mind was to go to war. But I think I forgot that people go to war not to fight those they hate, but to protect those they love."

He turns to Taehyung, eyebrows furrowed together in deep thought. "I let my anger get the best of me. I think I lost my way, Taehyung."

A feeling of nostalgia washes over Taehyung as he stares into Seokjin's eyes. Indeed, the lost boy is still there somewhere. What has the universe made of him?

"Do you regret it, then?" Taehyung asks, "Everything you've done that led up to this."

Seokjin turns back to look at the backyard. The grass used to be green there, now it's all black and red.

"No, I don't," He replies, putting his hands on the railing, "Do you think they're killing them in those camps like they say they do? Because I don't. They're torturing them to death."

"Don't tell me you're thinking of raiding them. Have you seen how tight the guarding is?"

"I never said anything about raiding," He chuckles softly, "You really think I've turned into a monster, don't you?"

Taehyung pauses. "I think we all have."

Seokjin's smile falls, and he rests his elbows on the railing, leaning forward.

"What are you going to do about it?" Taehyung asks as he looks at Seokjin, one hand in his pocket and the other on the railing.

Seokjin shrugs. "I have something on mind, but I don't know if it will work."

"Aren't you tired of fighting?"

"Tired of violence." Seokjin stands back up, crossing his arms over his chest. "What about you? Have you lost hope?"

Taehyung blinks, turning his head to the side, and he doesn't say anything in response.

"Why did you kidnap her?" Taehyung asks after a few seconds of silence, "Was it really because you knew I like her or did you have your own reasons?"

Seokjin smiles to himself. "Why do you like her?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"Answer mine first."

"... She's kind."

"That's all?"

"And brave. She's... beautiful."

Seokjin nods. "She is."

"So?"

"So?"

"Why did you kidnap her?"

Seokjin lets out a breath. "A little bit of both. I knew you liked her and that she made you think twice about our plans, and I also have my own reasons."

"Which are?"

"Nothing that concerns you." He uncrosses his arms and turns to look at Taehyung. "Do you want to know what my next step is?"

"Nah, nevermind," He adds quickly, "I'll leave it as a surprise."

Taehyung raises an eyebrow in amusement. "A surprise? What? You'll kill the president?"

Seokjin laughsㅡa laugh that Taehyung hasn't heard in a long timeㅡand shakes his head. "I wish I could. I've been thinking about it and I always thought I was some sort of saviour. You know, one of those men who'll leave an impact on the world. The man who freed the hybrids. But I'm not really all that special. I couldn't do much for my kind. We're still locked up. We're still suffering. I forgot what my objective was over the years."

He looks at the ground for a few seconds. "I want to end this."

"And how will you do that?" Taehyung asks.

Seokjin looks up at Taehyung with a sly smile. "That is the surprise."

"Anyway, I need to get going," He adds before he turns around and starts walking towards the exit.

"Jin," Taehyung calls after him, "What made you change your mind? Is it the concentration camps?"

Seokjin stops in his tracks and looks over his shoulder. "C'mon, Taehyung. You're smarter than to ask this question."

And with that, he walks away.

---

A/N: any theories about what jins final plan would be?