1996 | Y.Jw

| 5 |

As light finally tuned into my vision I was overcome by possibly the worst headache I had ever had. My hands flying up to my head as a small groan left my mouth.

"Called it," a voice spoke up from beside me.

"Stop it!" a scolding tone retorted, a scolding that only could belong to Lin, "I get that you want to practice your skills, but you do not do it to prove that you're right about when she'll wake up."

"Lin, I love you but you're making my headache worse," I complained quietly as I rubbed my eyes.

"Great and now I'm the villain," Lin sighed deeply, "you enjoy the scolding you're about to enjoy Yang."

I heard a few footsteps before a door closing. I suppose Lin had left the room.

"You aren't supposed to be here," I murmured, well aware someone still sat in the room. When I got no reply I calmly made my chair scoot over to the edge of my bed, earning a small yelp from the person sitting in it, "gotcha."

"I thought you couldn't do anything while covering your eyes," Jungwon's voice remarked making me lift my hands from my eyes.

"Whatever they believe Won," I shook my head in return.

"Are you tricking the teachers?" he whispered quietly making me glance over to him with a small nod.

"Like you tricked me into thinking I would be alright," I remarked and he let out a deep sigh as one of his hands ran over his face.

"I didn't want you to be scared," he excused, "I knew if you became nervous something bad might happen."

"Too many people make me nervous," I excused and he hummed quietly, "how long ago was it since I cracked open that weird machine?"

"Roughly two days," he shrugged and leaned back in his chair, "and you've had at least three trays of food in here. Dinner from today is still here if you'd like, but I put the other trays out for you."

"Thanks," I murmured as I slowly pushed myself up to sit properly.

"You know... I think I know why you're so snappy sometimes," Jungwon remarked as he grabbed the tray from my desk and placed it carefully in my lap.

"Why? Can you read my mind now too?" I questioned as I glanced at him.

"No, but I have watched you long enough," he shook his head, "and I know you enjoy our times off curfew, when I let you lay against me while I study."

"I don't even know what you're studying," I shrugged casually as I grabbed the dry toastbread that followed with our evening soup.

"Some extra curriculum that could come in use in the future," he casually shrugged.

"One we don't have," I corrected him with a small snort as I glanced at him, "so why am I so snappy?"

"You don't like when secrets are being kept from you," he casually shrugged, "you don't know why you're here. You don't know when you can get out, along with a few other things. It puts you in a bad mood so you seek comfort, and I think I am that comfort."

"You are," I nonchalantly shrugged, "I can say that, can't I?"

"You sure can," he assured with a small nod, a small smile breaking out on his face, "I don't mind. I like being your comfort."

"I know I get snappy with you sometimes," I whispered and he quietly hummed, watching as I stirred around the cold soup, "I just... you are my comfort, but I don't know if you really see us as friends."

"We've spent the past six years together, of course we are," he chuckled softly.

"I barely know anything about you," I shook my head, "you know a lot."

"I'll tell you more," he offered and I hummed with a quiet nod, "and I can start by letting you know. I desperately want to get out of here, and I want to know the answers to all the questions that bothers you, too. The things I am studying is any possible thing I can do to get out of here."

"All these years?" I questioned and he quietly nodded at me, "and nothing?"

"Lots of things," he shook his head as he ran his hands through his hair, "I'm just... waiting for the right time. I'm not leaving without the rest of you. I can't bear the thought of getting out sucessfully. What wouldn't they do to you guys after I disappear? Would they blame you guys? Will the testing be worse?" he sighed before shaking his head, "no, I need all in on it."

"It would be easy," I shook my head in return, "Sunoo hates seeing Lin exhausted after their testing. Riki needs some bigger space to run around in, use his energy. Emiko doesn't stay if Riki doesn't, Lin doesn't stay if Sunoo doesn't. Simple as that."

"And you?" Jungwon questioned quietly.

"I want to see something else that isn't these white walls," I shrugged, "I want to find my parents," I whispered and he nodded, opening his mouth to say something, "I know they say our parents are dead, but I just want to get closure."

"I am not saying anything," Jungwon excused and I hummed as I squinted my eyes at him, "I am not. I'm gonna stay in here until curfew starts. I guess I'll talk with the others about getting out another day."

"I can't eat this," I excused and handed him the tray.

He quickly turned around in his chair and placed it back on my desk, spinning around once again. Stopping himself by planting his feet on the edge of my bed, sending me a small smile as he did so.

"You're not going to study tonight?" I questioned and he simply shook his head.

"I'll keep you company. I do feel a bit of guilt for not telling you, you know," he remarked as he folded his hands across his stomach, "and I'm still perplexed as to how come you not have a window?"

"You tell me," I replied and he let out a small chuckle.

"No nightmare while you were gone?" he questioned and I shook my head in return, "good," he hummed with a small nod that moved his whole torso back and forth in my chair, "I'm very awkward am I not?"

"I don't think we're used to sitting across from each other and talking," I shook my head in amusement.

"We don't even have much to talk about. All our waking hours we are surrounded by each other or nothing at all," he shrugged with a small sigh, "I can read you fairytales or I can go get chess."

"Be a bit more original at least," I teased and he quickly nodded in agreement as his eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah, I think that would be a good way to start," he excused before chuckling slightly and looking back at my tray, "hide a knife from the breakfast tomorrow."

"What?" I questioned in amusement and he immediately turned back to me, "why?"

"You want to get out, don't you?" he questioned with confidence and I nodded at him, "it'll always be good to have a knife, I suppose."

"If they find out-" I started and he shook his head.

"They're practising Hallucikinesis with me," he shook his head, "I'll fix it."

"Hallu- what now?" I questioned in amusement.

"Basically they're teaching me to create hallucinations in the minds of other people. Not for everyone in the room, but each individual," he shrugged, "we've started out small. Making spoons, dices, and such to my teacher. I'll make them believe you gave the knife back."

"That's pretty cool," I excused and he just nodded in agreement as he tried to surpress his smile, "alright. I'll hide the knife."

"And... do me a favor and make sure all microphones around our section breaks and burns off their recording," he remarked and I just nodded at him.

"Consider it already done," I assured him as a small smile stayed on his face.